Appellants John Roe 58 and John Roe 61 appeal from the judgment of dismissal entered after the trial court sustained without leave to amend the demurrers of various Catholic Church entities to their first amended complaint. Because the statute of limitations on plaintiffs' claims expired years before they sued, and because they did not sue in 2003 during the Legislature's one-year revival window for such claims, their claims again became time-barred and the trial court correctly sustained the demurrers on that ground.
John Roe 58 and John Roe 61 alleged that they were sexually molested by Father Robert S. Koerner when they were children who attended a Roman Catholic church at a parish in Calipatria.
Under the statute of limitations then in effect, appellants' claims became time-barred when each turned 19. Based on their ages as alleged in the first amended complaint, John Roe 58 turned 19 sometime in 1992, and John Roe 61 turned 19 sometime in 1979. Respondents' demurrers were sustained without leave to amend because neither appellant sued during the calendar year 2003, during which their claims had been revived by the Legislature.
Until 1986, all sexual molestation claims were governed by the one-year statute of limitations then applicable to most tort claims. (§ 340; see DeRose v. Carswell (1987) 196 Cal.App.3d 1011, 1015, 1018 [242 Cal.Rptr. 368] [suggesting delayed discovery may be available for repressed memory].) If the victim was a minor, however, that period was tolled by section 352 until the victim's 18th birthday, meaning the victim had one year after his or her 18th birthday to file suit. In 1986, the Legislature added section 340.1, which increased the limitations period to three years, but only for abuse of a child
In 1998, the Legislature amended section 340.1 to include causes of action for sex abuse against nonabusers whose negligent or intentional acts were a "legal cause" of a child's sexual abuse. (§ 340.1, subd. (a)(2) & (3), added by Stats. 1998, ch. 1032, § 1, p. 7785.)
In short, until January 1, 1999, child molestation victims had until they turned 19 to sue nonabuser persons or entities. As of that date, the limitations period for claims against nonabusers expired on a victim's 26th birthday.
The Legislature also amended section 340.1 to revive for calendar year 2003 all nonabuser claims that fell within the description of section 340.1, subdivision (b)(2) and would otherwise be barred because the limitations period had expired. That provision states: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any claim for damages [falling under subdivision (b)(2)] that would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired, is revived, and, in that case, a cause of action may be commenced within one year of January 1,
In Hightower, supra, 142 Cal.App.4th 759, the plaintiff alleged he was molested in the early 1970's, meaning his claims against the perpetrator and any nonabusers became time-barred when he turned 19 in 1977. After making a defective attempt to sue nonabusers during the 2003 revival period, the plaintiff finally filed a complaint in April 2004. The plaintiff alleged he did not discover the cause of his psychological injuries until 2003, claiming his action was timely under the expanded limitations period approved by the Legislature in 2002. This court rejected that contention because the Legislature's one-year revival window for any subdivision (b)(2) claims that had already lapsed "drew a clear distinction between claims that were time-barred and those that were not. Hightower's interpretation would obliterate that distinction by allowing his time-barred claim to take advantage of the new limitations period," essentially sidestepping the one-year revival period. (142 Cal.App.4th at pp. 767-768.) Therefore, we held, for subdivision (b)(2) nonabuser claims like Hightower's that were barred by the pre-2003 statute of limitations, the only available opportunity to sue was during the one-year revival window of 2003.
Appellants contend we were wrong in Hightower because (1) the plain language of the statute shows it was intended to allow claims like theirs; (2) the
Instead, subdivision (b)(2) is made retroactive by subdivision (c). As noted, subdivision (c) revives for the calendar year 2003 any subdivision (b)(2) claims "that would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003." As appellants
We disagree. Instead, the plain language of the statute, along with decisions interpreting a nearly identical provision, compels a different result. We begin with section 340.9, a virtually identical statute passed in 2000 that took effect on January 1, 2001, in order to revive claims by property owners against their insurance companies arising from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. It provides: "(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or contract, any insurance claim for damages arising out of the Northridge earthquake of 1994 which is barred as of the effective date of this section solely because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired is hereby revived and a cause of action thereon may be commenced provided that the action is commenced within one year of the effective date of this section."
The court in 20th Century Ins. Co. v. Superior Court (2001) 90 Cal.App.4th 1247 [109 Cal.Rptr.2d 611] (20th Century) held that the phrase "law or contract" in section 340.9, subdivision (a) was intended to reach the policy's one-year contractual limitations period for actions against the insurer that was mandated by Insurance Code section 2071, and that the revival provision was not an unconstitutional impairment of the insurer's contract rights. (90 Cal.App.4th at pp. 1270-1273, 1276-1277.) In discussing why section 340.9 was designed to reach the contractual limitations period, the 20th Century court said the legislative history made it clear that the Legislature intended to remedy the harm caused by that provision. Therefore, the term "`applicable statute of limitations' was simply a generic reference to the limitations period that the Legislature intended to reach by its enactment of section 340.9. Such generic use of the term was no different than the `lawyer's shorthand' utilized
In another contract impairment case arising out of section 340.9, the court in Rosenblum v. Safeco Ins. Co. (2005) 126 Cal.App.4th 847, 858 [24 Cal.Rptr.3d 427], held that the provision "did nothing more than reopen the filing window, for a one-year period, to those otherwise viable cases that had become time-barred." (Original italics.)
Complementing this is subdivision (c)'s provision that notwithstanding any other provision of law, "any claim" covered by subdivision (b)(2) that "would otherwise be barred" as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable limitations period had expired was revived and "in that case, a cause of action may be commenced within one year of January 1, 2003." (Italics added.)
The limitations period in place through December 31, 2002, for claims against all nonabuser entities was a victim's 26th birthday. Therefore, as of January 1, 2003, there were three groups of child molestation victims whose claims against nonabusers had already expired and were therefore otherwise barred under the then applicable limitations period: (1) those over age 26 who had made discovery more than three years earlier; (2) those over age 26 who had made their discovery less than three years earlier; and (3) those who had turned 26 and had not made discovery at all. We believe the Legislature meant what it said when it provided that "any claim" falling under subdivision (b)(2) was revived by subdivision (c), but for one year only. As a result, it must have included appellants here, who fall into the third category.
Appellants rely on portions of the legislative history to support their interpretation of subdivision (c). The first is an example found throughout the legislative history describing why the amendments are necessary: After noting that many childhood sex abuse victims do not manifest trauma until well after their 26th birthday, the statement reads: "For example, a 35-year old man with a 13-year old son involved in many community and sporting events, may begin to relive his nightmare of being molested by an older authoritarian figure when he was 13 years old and about to enter puberty." (Sen. Rules Com., Off. of Sen. Floor Analyses, Unfinished Business Analysis of Sen. Bill No. 1779 (2001-2002 Reg. Sess.) as amended June 17, 2002, p. 4.)
Appellants conclude that this example validates their interpretation of the retroactive scope of subdivision (c). However, we read this as describing the prospective effect of the new limitations period. For instance, although the example mentions a childhood molestation victim who only makes discovery when he is 35, it does not also describe that hypothetical plaintiff as someone whose action was time-barred years before. Instead, the bill analysis discusses retroactivity immediately after the cited example, with the report noting that the bill also provided that "notwithstanding any other provision of law, any action for damages against a third party as provided above which is barred as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable statute of limitations has expired, is revived and a cause of action thereupon may be brought if commenced within one year of January 1, 2003. [¶] This bill further would provide that its one-year window period shall not alter the applicable limitations period of an action that is not time[-]barred as of January 1, 2003, and shall not apply to either" claims made final after litigation on the merits or by settlement. (Sen. Rules Com., Off. of Sen. Floor Analyses, Unfinished Business Analysis of Sen. Bill No. 1779 (2001-2002 Reg. Sess.) as amended June 17, 2002, p. 3.)
In sum, because this report discusses the retroactive effect of the amendments separately from the example that appellants rely upon, the example does not apply to the retroactivity analysis.
The next example cited by appellants comes from a 10-page analysis of the 2002 amendment prepared for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Under the subheading "
However, this passage appears immediately after the following: "This bill would provide that, notwithstanding any other provision of law, any action for damages against a third party (as provided above) which is barred as of the effective date of this bill solely because the applicable statute of limitations has expired, is revived and a cause of action thereupon may be brought if commenced within one year of the effective date of this bill." (Sen. Com. on Judiciary, Analysis of Sen. Bill No. 1779 (2001-2002 Reg. Sess.) as amended May 2, 2002, p. 6.) As set forth above, among the claims barred by the previous limitations period were those of victims who had turned 26 and had not yet made discovery. In fact, the plight of such victims was described as one of the key reasons the 2002 amendment was required. In the same report, under the heading "
In short, the Legislature knew that victims who had not yet made discovery were barred under the then existing limitations period, but elected to revive for only one year "any claim" falling under subdivision (b)(2) that had been barred by the previous statute of limitations.
The language quoted by appellants also appears elsewhere in the legislative history. A 12-page analysis by the Assembly Judiciary Committee states: "This bill applies retroactively and provides victims of childhood sexual abuse a one-year window to bring an action against a third party when that claim would otherwise be barred solely because the statute of limitations has or had expired and when the third party knew of prior claims of abuse but failed to act to prevent future abuse. [¶] Under the measure, such a claim would be revived and a cause of action may be brought if commenced within one year of January 1, 2003. . . . In other words, this bill would provide those victims who discovered their adulthood trauma after age 26, whose action has been barred by the current statute of limitations, a one-year window to bring a case against a third party that otherwise would be time-barred." (Assem. Com. on Judiciary, Analysis of Sen. Bill No. 1779 (2001-2002 Reg. Sess.) as amended June 6, 2002, p. 7.) When read in full, this portion of the legislative history simply mirrors the language of subdivision (c): claims that would otherwise be time-barred under the previous limitations period were revived for one year only. No exception is made for plaintiffs who had not yet
The final piece of legislative history cited by appellants comes from an undated analysis that gives no indication by whom, or for whom, it was prepared, or that otherwise shows it is a proper subject of judicial notice. (Quintano v. Mercury Casualty Co. (1995) 11 Cal.4th 1049, 1062 [48 Cal.Rptr.2d 1, 906 P.2d 1057] [views of individual legislators not judicially noticeable]; State Compensation Ins. Fund. v. Workers' Comp. Appeals Bd. (1985) 40 Cal.3d 5, 10, fn. 3 [219 Cal.Rptr. 13, 706 P.2d 1146] [judicial notice improper if documents not properly identified]; Kaufman & Broad Communities, Inc. v. Performance Plastering, Inc. (2005) 133 Cal.App.4th 26, 30-31 [34 Cal.Rptr.3d 520].) Appearing under the heading "WHO CAN SUE AFTER THE BILL PASSES, AND WHEN," the report states: "People who discover their adulthood trauma from the molestation after the effective date of the bill will have three years from the date the victim discovers or reasonably should have discovered that the adulthood trauma was caused by the childhood abuse." (Underscoring omitted.)
According to appellants, this definitively shows that plaintiffs whose claims were time-barred under the old statute of limitations because they had turned 26, even though they had not yet made discovery, could bring their actions after the one-year revival window closed. A full reading of the document shows otherwise. The quoted language is under the subheading "
Instead, immediately under that general heading, and immediately before the subheading and discussion concerning prospective application, is the subheading "
Appellants contend the Legislature's reenactment of subdivision (u) as part of the 2003 amendments shows their claims could still be brought because they were filed after 1999 and because they did not make discovery until after the expanded limitations period took effect in January 2003. In order to understand this argument, we must first recount the applicable statutory history.
As discussed, until 1998 the limitations period for childhood molestation claims against nonabuser entities was one year, extended to the victim's 19th birthday by section 352. In 1998, the Legislature for the first time provided in section 340.1 for an extended limitations period against nonabusers up until the plaintiff's 26th birthday. This limitations period applied in two instances: (1) to negligent nonabusers; and (2) to intentional nonabusers. (Subd. (a)(2), (3).) The longer limitations period of the later of age 26 or three years from discovery that applied to those who actually committed the molestation was set forth in subdivision (a)(1).
In 1999, the Legislature enacted subdivision (s) (now subd. (u)), which clarified that the 1998 amendments "shall apply to any action commenced on or after January 1, 1999, and to any action filed prior to January 1, 1999, and still pending on that date, including any action or causes of action which would have been barred by the laws in effect prior to January 1, 1999. Nothing in this subdivision is intended to revive actions or causes of action as to which there has been a final adjudication prior to January 1, 1999."
When the Legislature passed the 2002 amendments at issue here, it did not repeal or delete subdivision (s). Instead, it retained that provision and reenacted it as subdivision (u). Appellants contend that because subdivision (u) conferred retroactive effect on subdivision (a)(2) (negligent nonabuser) and (3) (intentional nonabuser) cases that were then pending, its reenactment in 2003 along with the newly enacted subdivision (b)(2) (negligent nonabusers who knew of the perpetrator's potential to molest and failed to take reasonable safeguards) shows that the Legislature intended subdivision (u) to apply to
Appellants overlook that the 1998 amendments imposed an age 26 cap on all claims against nonabusers, without regard to when discovery occurred. If appellants are correct, then even though in 2002, the Legislature expressly revived all lapsed subdivision (b)(2) claims for one year pursuant to subdivision (c), it also chose to silently revive a limited subcategory of those claims—where plaintiffs were over 26 but had not yet discovered the link between the molestation and their adulthood emotional harm—by way of reenacting a then three-year-old provision that was designed to clarify the prospective reach of the 1998 amendments that set an age 26 limit on claims against all nonabusers. We do not believe the Legislature would take such a convoluted approach.
Instead, the Legislature has demonstrated that when it wants to make amendments to section 340.1 retroactive, it will do so clearly and expressly. In 1994, the Legislature added what is now subdivision (r), which states that the 1990 amendments applied to "any action commenced on or after January 1, 1991, including any action otherwise barred by the period of limitations in effect prior to January 1, 1991, thereby reviving those causes of action which had lapsed or technically expired under the law existing prior to January 1, 1991." (Stats. 1994, ch. 288, § 1, p. 1928.) Subdivision (c) is just as clear.
Had the Legislature intended to permit appellants' claims, it should have, and we believe it would have, done so in equally clear and unmistakable terms. For instance, the Legislature could have written subdivision (c) to state that any subdivision (b)(2) claims of those plaintiffs 26 or older who had not yet made discovery were revived and the new limitations period did not begin to run until discovery occurred.
Appellants rely on Bouley v. Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (2005) 127 Cal.App.4th 601 [25 Cal.Rptr.3d 813] (Bouley) to support their contention that the Legislature's retention of subdivision (u) shows that it intended to make the new limitations period of subdivision (b)(2) retroactive. As set forth below, Bouley is inapplicable.
At issue in Bouley was a 2002 amendment to section 377.60 that conferred standing in wrongful death actions to domestic partners of a decedent. (§ 377.60, subd. (a); Bouley, supra, 127 Cal.App.4th at p. 606.) After that amendment took effect, the plaintiff sued for the 2001 wrongful death of his domestic partner. The defendants' demurrers were sustained, and the action
Based on this language from Bouley, appellants contend the same should be true for subdivision (u) of section 340.1. We disagree. First, Bouley relied on People v. Bouzas (1991) 53 Cal.3d 467 [279 Cal.Rptr. 847, 807 P.2d 1076] (Bouley, supra, 127 Cal.App.4th at p. 607), which only noted the well-established rule that legislative reenactment of a statute that has been judicially construed without change is deemed to be legislative adoption of that construction. (Bouzas, at p. 475.) That is not the issue raised as to subdivision (u).
Next, the statutory language involved in Bouley is critically different. The 1997 amendment at issue in Bouley was a blanket statement that section 377.60 in its entirety applied to any cause of action arising on or after January 1993. (§ 377.60, subd. (d).) As discussed above, subdivision (u) of section 340.1 applies solely to the 1998 amendment that imposed an age 26 cap on all claims against nonabuser entities without the distinction created four years later by subdivision (b)(2). Because subdivision (c) is section 340.1's lone express indicator of retroactive effect, subdivision (u) cannot logically be read as appellants contend.
Because appellants allege they only recently came to recognize the wrongful nature of Father Koerner's actions, they contend that their claims did not accrue until that time, pursuant to the common law doctrine of equitable
Finally, appellants contend they may take advantage of the longer three years from discovery limitations period provided by subdivision (a)(1) because respondents are allegedly liable as perpetrators. They base this on two theories: (1) vicarious liability under the doctrine of respondeat superior; and (2) because respondents allegedly procured them as victims for Koerner in violation of Penal Code section 266j. (See § 340.1, subd (e), which defines childhood sexual abuse to include violations of Pen. Code, § 266j.)
Furthermore, respondeat superior liability is not available because the alleged abuse was committed outside the scope of Koerner's employment. (Farmers Ins. Group v. County of Santa Clara (1995) 11 Cal.4th 992, 1004-1005 [47 Cal.Rptr.2d 478, 906 P.2d 440], citing Jeffrey E. v. Central Baptist Church (1988) 197 Cal.App.3d 718, 721 [243 Cal.Rptr. 128] [church not liable under respondeat superior theory for minor's sexual abuse by religious school teacher]; Mary M. v. City of Los Angeles (1991) 54 Cal.3d 202, 218, fn. 11 [285 Cal.Rptr. 99, 814 P.2d 1341]; Mark K. v. Roman Catholic Archbishop (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 603, 609 [79 Cal.Rptr.2d 73].)
The judgment of dismissal is affirmed. Respondents shall recover their appellate costs.
Flier, J., concurred.
I respectfully dissent.
This case requires the court to construe the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims, specifically, claims against nonabuser entities who failed to take steps to safeguard minors from known or suspected molesters. The majority holds, as it did in Hightower v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Sacramento (2006) 142 Cal.App.4th 759 [48 Cal.Rptr.3d 420], that the delayed discovery provision of the statute does not apply to any victim who reached his 26th birthday before January 1, 2003, and who did not sue during the one-year revival period provided by the statute—whether or not the victim had discovered or should have discovered the cause of his injuries. I cannot agree with the majority and would hold that the statute bars only those claims of persons age 26 or older who had discovered the cause of their injuries but did not sue during the one-year revival period.
The majority has ably described the many permutations through which the statute reached its current state. But our concern here is only with the 2002 amendment and its application to claims against a third party nonabuser on notice of sexual abuse (a defendant who knew or had reason to know of unlawful sexual conduct by an employee and who failed to take reasonable steps to avoid such conduct by that person in the future). (Code Civ. Proc., § 340.1, subds. (a) & (b).)
The 2002 amendment is "a remedial statute that the Legislature intended to be construed broadly to effectuate the intent that illuminates section 340.1 as a whole; to expand the ability of victims of childhood sexual abuse to hold to account individuals and entities responsible for their injuries." (Doe v. City of Los Angeles (2007) 42 Cal.4th 531, 536 [67 Cal.Rptr.3d 330, 169 P.3d 559].) The 2002 amendment, as relevant here, did two things.
First, as already noted, the 2002 amendment extended the statute of limitations in actions against a third party nonabuser beyond the plaintiff's 26 birthday, if the nonabuser "knew or had reason to know, or was otherwise on notice, of any unlawful sexual conduct by an employee, volunteer, representative, or agent, and failed to take reasonable steps, and to implement reasonable safeguards, to avoid acts of unlawful sexual conduct in the future by that person . . . ." (§ 340.1, subd. (b)(2), added by Stats. 2002, ch. 149, § 1.) As of January 1, 2003, claims against third party nonabusers on notice of unlawful sexual conduct by an employee may be brought "within three years of the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by the sexual abuse . . . ." (§ 340.1, subd. (a).)
Second, the 2002 amendment revived, for calendar year 2003 only, causes of action against such nonabusers on notice that "would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired . . . ." (§ 340.1, subd. (c), italics added (the revival clause).) The revival clause provides, in its entirety: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any claim for damages [against nonabusers on notice such as the Doe entities] that would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired, is revived, and, in that case, a cause of action may be commenced within one year of January 1, 2003. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to alter the applicable statute of limitations period of an action that is not time barred as of January 1, 2003." (§ 340.1, subd. (c), italics added.)
The question in this case is the proper application of the 2002 amendment to actions filed after 2003 by plaintiffs who are 26 or older. The Doe entities say, and the majority agrees, that plaintiffs (who were well over the age of 26 on Jan. 1, 2003, when the 2002 amendment became effective) were required to bring their suit during the 2003 revival period, because their claims had lapsed under former statutes of limitations in effect through December 31, 2002. Thus, the Doe entities say, John Roe 61's claim lapsed forever in 1979 (when he was 19), and John Roe 58's claim first lapsed in 1992 (when he was 19) and lapsed again and forever in 1999 (when he was 26 and did not take advantage of the expanded age limit enacted in 1998).
I believe the majority misreads the plain language of the revival clause. I do not agree that under the language of that clause, a claim that has not yet been discovered may be considered to have been barred "as of January 1, 2003," even though the new statute of limitations, effective on that date, expressly allows such undiscovered claims. Undiscovered claims are governed by the statute of limitations in effect "as of January 1, 2003," which allows such claims to be filed within three years of discovery. My conclusion flows from the plain language of the statute and is confirmed by the legislative history of the 2002 amendment.
The language of the one-year revival clause quoted above is unambiguous: it revives "any claim for damages [against nonabusers on notice] that would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003 . . . ." And the revival clause clearly states it is not to be interpreted "to alter the applicable statute of limitations period of an action that is not time barred as of January 1, 2003." (§ 340.1, subd. (c), italics added.) This means that on and after January 1, 2003, the statute of limitations allows a plaintiff to file suit within three years of discovering that his adulthood injuries were caused by sexual abuse, no matter how old he is when he makes the discovery. The one-year revival of actions that are time-barred "as of January 1, 2003, solely because the applicable statute of limitations has or had expired" (ibid.) applies only to the plaintiffs who do not meet the terms of the newly extended statute of limitations, specifically, people who on January 1, 2003, were 26 or older and who discovered or reasonably should have discovered their injuries were caused by sexual abuse more than three years before filing suit.
In short, the 2002 amendment to the statute of limitations on its face extended the statute beyond age 26, for the first time, for the plaintiffs who
In my view the unambiguous language of the statute dictates the result in this case, but even so a court may look to legislative history for additional authority. (Barratt American, Inc. v. City of Rancho Cucamonga (2005) 37 Cal.4th 685, 697 [37 Cal.Rptr.3d 149, 124 P.3d 719].) The legislative history of the 2002 amendment entirely dispels any ambiguity concerning the meaning of the words, "any claim for damages . . . that would otherwise be barred as of January 1, 2003."
The purpose of the 2002 amendment was to eliminate the absolute time bar of a victim's 26 birthday in a suit against a nonabuser on notice of a perpetrator's previous sexual misconduct who took no action to protect children from future abuse by the perpetrator. The author of the amendment described the age 26 time bar as an "`arbitrary limitation [that] unfairly deprives a victim from seeking redress, and unfairly and unjustifiably protects responsible third parties from being held accountable for their actions that caused injury to victims.'" (Sen. Com. on Judiciary, 3d reading analysis of Sen. Bill No. 1779 (2001-2002 Reg. Sess.) as amended June 17, 2002, p. 4.) Further: "`Unfortunately for many victims, their adulthood trauma does not manifest itself until well after their 26 birthday, when some event in their current life triggers remembrance of the past abuse and brings on new trauma, [¶] For example, a 35-year old man with a 13-year old son involved
The entire point of the 2002 amendment was to eliminate an arbitrary age bar that prevented abuse victims from recovering against highly culpable third parties—those who knew of previous misconduct and took no steps to protect other children from future abuse. The very example given—which appears repeatedly in legislative reports on the 2002 amendment—shows that the Legislature intended the amendments to apply to "`a 35-year old man'" who "`begin[s] to relive his nightmare. . . .'" Yet under the majority's reading of the statute, a person who was 26 or older when the 2002 amendment went into effect, and who does not discover the cause of his injuries until he is 35, is time-barred by the very statute whose purpose was to eliminate the bar. In my view, this cannot be, and is not, the case.
Other documents in the legislative history are to like effect. The discussion in another report for the Senate Judiciary Committee, after explaining that the bill would eliminate the age 26 limitation and apply a broader statute of limitations to suits against third party nonabusers on notice, described the one-year revival clause as follows: "In other words, this bill would provide those victims who discovered their adulthood trauma after age 26, whose action has been barred by the current statute of limitations, a one-year window to bring a case against a third party that otherwise would be time-barred."
The complaint identified a San Diego-based diocese as Doe 1. Doe 2 is identified as the religious order that ordained Koerner. Doe 3 is identified as the religious order to which Koerner belonged. Doe 4 is identified as the Catholic parish in Calipatria. Doe 5 is identified as the Barstow parish where the alleged molester of John Roe 65 was assigned. We will refer to these parties collectively as respondents.
Section 340.1, subdivision (a)(2) applied to actions against persons or entities who owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, where a wrongful or negligent act by that defendant was a legal cause of the childhood sexual abuse. Section 340.1, subdivision (a)(3) applied to actions against such entities whose intentional act was a legal cause of the abuse.
It makes no difference to our analysis, however, and for purposes of our discussion, we will assume that actions against nonabusers, except for those described in section 340.1. subdivision (b)(2), must be filed no later than a plaintiff's 26th birthday. Legislative clarification of this point would, however, be helpful.
Appellants also rely on Armijo v. Miles (2005) 127 Cal.App.4th 1405, 1412-1413 [26 Cal.Rptr.3d 623], decided shortly after Bouley. The Armijo court also held that the Legislature's reenactment of section 377.60, subdivision (d)'s retroactivity provision when it amended the statute to confer standing on domestic partners made the new standing rule retroactive. Because the language of the relevant portions of section 377.60 is vastly different from those at issue under section 340.1, Armijo is equally inapplicable.