A longtime volunteer with the United Farm Workers has filed a lawsuit claiming Cesar Chavez raped her in the 1970s at the union's headquarters in central California. The lawsuit, filed anonymously as Jane Doe, accuses nonprofit groups affiliated with the Chavez family and the U. F.

W. of negligence, sexual harassment and violations of state civil rights laws. The suit follows a New York Times investigation revealing compelling evidence that Chavez sexually abused, assaulted and harassed underage girls and adult women. California has extended the statute of limitations for victims to file civil lawsuits decades after the fact, allowing victims to sue both perpetrators and institutions that knew or should have known about abuse.

The Cesar Chavez Foundation, one of the nonprofits named in the lawsuit, stated it is reviewing the matter with legal counsel. The other nonprofit sued, the U. F.

W. Foundation, did not respond to requests for comment. The allegations have sparked a national reckoning over Chavez's legacy, leading to the renaming of Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day and the removal of his name from schools, streets, and public monuments across the country.