Lawsuit Alleges Deputy Sexually Assaulted Woman Held in San Francisco County Jail

The complaint names the City and County of San Francisco, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, and a former deputy, according to a November 9, 2026, announcement from Mirador Law, one of the firms representing the woman. She is suing without using her name. The announcement does not say which court the case was filed in.

According to the announcement, the complaint alleges that on September 11, 2025, while the woman was a pretrial detainee at County Jail #2, the deputy took her alone to the jail gym and directed her into a staff bathroom that surveillance cameras did not cover, where the assault took place. It alleges the deputy then threatened her with a housing transfer and isolation if she reported it, and that DNA testing of physical evidence she preserved matched the deputy.

The complaint brings eight claims, including federal civil rights claims and California claims for violation of the Bane Act, gender violence, sexual battery, assault and battery, false imprisonment, and negligence. It seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages against the individual defendants only, and attorneys’ fees, and it demands a jury trial. The allegations have not been proven in court.

On July 17, 2026, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced two felony charges against the former deputy: engaging in sexual activity with a confined adult while working as a peace officer in a detention facility, and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. The former deputy pleaded not guilty on August 18, 2026, the Bay Area Reporter reported, and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, which cited court records, jail video shows the deputy and the woman entering the gym alone and later a bathroom, and DNA testing of evidence she saved matched the deputy. Prosecutors also allege the deputy told her not to tell anyone and threatened to move her to another housing unit.

The Sheriff’s Office has said that after learning of the alleged misconduct in September 2025, it removed the deputy from duty, opened an internal criminal investigation, and ultimately ended the deputy’s employment. San Francisco police later carried out a second investigation, the district attorney said, according to Mission Local. This article may be updated as the civil and criminal cases move forward.

People in custody depend on jail staff for their safety, their housing, and their daily routine. California law reflects that imbalance. It is a crime for a detention facility employee or a peace officer to engage in sexual activity with an adult confined in the facility, and the confined person’s consent is not a defense to that charge (Penal Code §289.6).

A criminal case and a civil lawsuit are separate. Prosecutors decide whether to bring charges. A civil case is brought by the person who was harmed, and it can seek compensation from the individual and, in some circumstances, from the agency that ran the facility. Our page on sexual abuse claims against institutions covers when an institution can be held responsible.

Suing a city or county under California law generally starts with a written government claim, due within six months of the injury. If the agency rejects the claim in writing, a lawsuit generally must follow within six months of that notice (Government Code §§911.2, 945.6). In this case, the woman’s attorneys filed a claim with the city on February 20, 2026, the Bay Area Reporter reported.

Federal civil rights claims work differently. They do not require a government claim first, and in California they generally must be filed within two years. Adults who were sexually assaulted generally have 10 years from the assault, or three years from discovering a resulting injury, to file a civil lawsuit (Code of Civil Procedure §340.16), but that longer period does not remove the six-month claim step for public agencies.

This overview of California and federal law is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines depend on the facts, so it helps to have them checked early.

No one gives up the right to be safe from sexual abuse by being in custody. Wilshire Law Firm’s sexual abuse attorneys represent survivors in civil claims, and we may be able to help people harmed by someone who held authority over them. We work with Bay Area survivors from our Oakland office, where our Oakland personal injury lawyers are based. You can also meet our legal team. We recently covered a verdict against a school district and an arrest at a San Jose high school that raised similar questions about an institution’s responsibility.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Suspected abuse can also be reported to local law enforcement. Someone who is still in custody can tell a public defender or defense attorney. In this case, the Public Defender’s Office said the woman confided in her deputy public defender, ABC7 reported.

Announcement from Mirador Law and co-counsel, distributed by Business Wire, November 9, 2026. San Francisco District Attorney’s Office news release, July 17, 2026. Reporting by the Bay Area Reporter (March 18 and August 19, 2026), Mission Local (July 2026), and ABC7 News (July 2026).

California Penal Code section 289.6; Government Code sections 844.6, 911.2, and 945.6; Code of Civil Procedure section 340.16; Monell v. Department of Social Services (U.S. Supreme Court, 1978); and Felder v. Casey (U.S. Supreme Court, 1988).

You can talk with a Wilshire Law Firm legal professional in confidence. We listen first, explain the options that may be open to you, and leave every decision to you. There are no fees unless you get paid.

Contact Wilshire Law Firm today.