Cal. CIV § 1708.5.5
This is the official text of Cal. CIV § 1708.5.5, part of California’s Civil Code — covers contracts, property ownership, personal rights, and other general civil obligations between private parties.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) Notwithstanding Section 3515, consent shall not be a defense in any civil action under Section 1708.5 if the person who commits the sexual battery is an adult who is in a position of authority over the minor.
(b) For purposes of this section, an adult is in a “position of authority” if he or she, by reason of that position, is able to exercise undue influence over a minor. A “position of authority” includes, but is not limited to, a natural parent, stepparent, foster parent, relative, partner of any such parent or relative, caretaker, youth leader, recreational director, athletic manager, coach, teacher, counselor, therapist, religious leader, doctor, employee of one of those aforementioned persons, or coworker.
(c) For purposes of this section, “undue influence” has the same meaning as in Section 15610.70 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(b) For purposes of this section, an adult is in a “position of authority” if he or she, by reason of that position, is able to exercise undue influence over a minor. A “position of authority” includes, but is not limited to, a natural parent, stepparent, foster parent, relative, partner of any such parent or relative, caretaker, youth leader, recreational director, athletic manager, coach, teacher, counselor, therapist, religious leader, doctor, employee of one of those aforementioned persons, or coworker.
(c) For purposes of this section, “undue influence” has the same meaning as in Section 15610.70 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.