From California to Minnesota, elected leaders and civil rights groups are scrambling to distance themselves from César Chavez’s name in the wake of sexual abuse allegations. Efforts have been swift and widespread to rebrand events ahead of what typically was a day to celebrate the Latino rights advocate on his birthday, March 31. In Tucson, Arizona, a celebration was instead billed as a community and labor fair. In Grand Junction, Colorado, it’s now the Sí, Se Puede Celebration. The conversations behind the decisions have been anything but easy as supporters deal with conflicted feelings while sorting how best to honor the legacy of the farmworker movement.
A Springfield man was arrested on several child sexual assault charges last week.
A New Mexico jury finds that social media conglomerate Meta is harmful to children’s mental health and in violation of state consumer protection law. The jury announced its verdict Tuesday as another jury deliberates a similar case in California against Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. State prosecutors said Meta prioritized profits over safety in violation of the state’s Unfair Practices Act and failed to adequately monitor the platforms for child sexual exploitation. Attorneys for Meta say company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, but that some bad material gets through its safety net. A Meta spokesperson says the company will appeal.
A Decatur man found guilty of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl was sentenced to 57 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
A California civil jury has found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972. On Monday, jurors in Santa Monica awarded Donna Motsinger nearly $60 million after a nearly two-week trial. The amount included $40 million in punitive damages. Motsinger said in a lawsuit filed in 2023 that Cosby invited her to a show, gave her wine and pills. She says she later woke up at home partly undressed and concluded that Cosby had drugged and raped her. His lawyers called the claims speculation and say they plan to appeal. The verdict came nearly five years after Cosby was freed from prison in a criminal case.
Jury deliberations have begun in a landmark trial where New Mexico prosecutors are accusing social media conglomerate Meta of misleading people about the safety of its platforms for children. Meta denies violating state consumer protection laws. Nationwide, social media companies are contending with lawsuits that allege the platforms harm children. The closing arguments in the New Mexico case were delivered Monday after six weeks of testimony from scores of witnesses that included teachers, psychiatric experts, state investigators, top Meta officials and whistleblowers that left the company.
The shattered legacy of Latino labor rights icon César Chavez has been particularly devastating among advocates who have long fought to raise awareness about sexual harassment and abuse against women farmworkers, which remains both widespread and underreported. Still, advocates say things have changed since Chavez’s time and important action has been taken especially after the #MeToo movement.
The shattered legacy of Latino labor rights icon César Chavez has been particularly devastating among advocates who have long fought to raise awareness about sexual harassment and abuse against women farmworkers, which remains both widespread and underreported. Still, advocates say things have changed since Chavez’s time and important action has been taken especially after the #MeToo movement.
A bill moving to the Illinois House floor could help sexual assault survivors when they first interact with police.
A man who pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually assault a woman in July 2025 was sentenced to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.