Survivors of the Central California Women’s Facility (or Chowchilla Women’s Prison) have filed civil lawsuits alleging pervasive sexual abuse by correctional staff, detailing coercion, unwanted physical contact, and retaliation for reporting misconduct.
These claims underpin a growing wave of litigation seeking to hold the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) accountable and get much-deserved settlement compensation for victims. What we have learned about Chowchilla is that there was a stark pattern of institutional neglect on many levels. Male guards were sexually assaulting women, and administrators turned a blind eye.
There have been no mass settlements of the Chowchilla sexual assault lawsuit. But our lawyers believe in these cases and, while nothing is guaranteed, we think this Chowchilla Women’s Prison lawsuit could result in one of the largest prison-related abuse settlements in U.S. history.












