AB 1741

AB1741:v97#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1741

An act to amend Section 728 of the Business and Professions Code, to amend Section 43.93 of the Civil Code, and to amend Section 243.4 of the Penal Code, relating to crimes.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1741, as amended, Pacheco. Sexual battery.

Existing law defines sexual battery as the touching of any intimate part of another person, if the touching is against the will of the person touched and for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse. A violation of this provision is punishable as a misdemeanor.

This bill would make a violation of the above provision punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony if the person entered an inhabited dwelling house or trailer coach, as defined, or the inhabited portion of any other building without consent. consent and committed sexual battery while in the dwelling house, trailer coach, or inhabited portion of any other building. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make other technical, conforming changes.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 728 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

728.

(a) Any psychotherapist or employer of a psychotherapist who becomes aware through a client that the client had alleged sexual intercourse or alleged sexual behavior or sexual contact with a previous psychotherapist during the course of a prior treatment shall provide to the client a brochure developed pursuant to Section 337 that delineates the rights of, and remedies for, clients who have been involved sexually with their psychotherapists. Further, the psychotherapist or employer shall discuss the brochure with the client.

(b) Failure to comply with this section constitutes unprofessional conduct.

(c) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Psychotherapist” means any of the following:

(A) A physician and surgeon specializing in the practice of psychiatry or practicing psychotherapy.

(B) A psychologist licensed pursuant to Chapter 6.6 (commencing with Section 2900).

(C) A psychological assistant.

(D) A registered psychologist.

(E) A trainee under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

(F) A marriage and family therapist.

(G) An associate marriage and family therapist.

(H) A marriage and family therapist trainee.

(I) A licensed educational psychologist.

(J) A clinical social worker.

(K) An associate clinical social worker.

(L) A licensed professional clinical counselor.

(M) An associate professional clinical counselor, as specified in Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 4999.10).

(N) A clinical counselor trainee, as specified in Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 4999.10).

(2) “Sexual behavior” means inappropriate contact or communication of a sexual nature. “Sexual behavior” does not include the provision of appropriate therapeutic interventions relating to sexual issues.

(3) “Sexual contact” means the touching of an intimate part of another person.

(4) “Intimate part” and “touching” have the same meanings as defined in subdivisions (h) and (e), respectively, of Section 243.4 of the Penal Code.

(5) “The course of a prior treatment” means the period of time during which a client first commences treatment for services that a psychotherapist is authorized to provide under their scope of practice, or that the psychotherapist represents to the client as being within their scope of practice, until the psychotherapist-client relationship is terminated.

SEC. 2.

Section 43.93 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

43.93.

(a) For the purposes of this section the following definitions are applicable:

(1) “Psychotherapy” means the professional treatment, assessment, or counseling of a mental or emotional illness, symptom, or condition.

(2) “Psychotherapist” means a physician and surgeon specializing in the practice of psychiatry, a psychologist, a psychological assistant, a marriage and family therapist, a registered marriage and family therapist intern or trainee, an educational psychologist, an associate clinical social worker, a licensed clinical social worker, a professional clinical counselor, or a registered clinical counselor intern or trainee.

(3) “Sexual contact” means the touching of an intimate part of another person. “Intimate part” and “touching” have the same meanings as defined in subdivisions (h) and (e), respectively, of Section 243.4 of the Penal Code. For the purposes of this section, sexual contact includes sexual intercourse, sodomy, and oral copulation.

(4) “Therapeutic relationship” exists during the time the patient or client is rendered professional service by the psychotherapist.

(5) “Therapeutic deception” means a representation by a psychotherapist that sexual contact with the psychotherapist is consistent with or part of the patient’s or former patient’s treatment.

(b) A cause of action against a psychotherapist for sexual contact exists for a patient or former patient for injury caused by sexual contact with the psychotherapist, if the sexual contact occurred under any of the following conditions:

(1) During the period the patient was receiving psychotherapy from the psychotherapist.

(2) Within two years following termination of therapy.

(3) By means of therapeutic deception.

(c) The patient or former patient may recover damages from a psychotherapist who is found liable for sexual contact. It is not a defense to the action that sexual contact with a patient occurred outside a therapy or treatment session or that it occurred off the premises regularly used by the psychotherapist for therapy or treatment sessions. No cause of action shall exist between spouses within a marriage.

(d) In an action for sexual contact, evidence of the plaintiff’s sexual history is not subject to discovery and is not admissible as evidence except in either of the following situations:

(1) The plaintiff claims damage to sexual functioning.

(2) The defendant requests a hearing prior to conducting discovery and makes an offer of proof of the relevancy of the history, and the court finds that the history is relevant and the probative value of the history outweighs its prejudicial effect.

The court shall allow the discovery or introduction as evidence only of specific information or examples of the plaintiff’s conduct that are determined by the court to be relevant. The court’s order shall detail the information or conduct that is subject to discovery.

SEC. 3.

Section 243.4 of the Penal Code is amended to read:

243.4.

(a) Any person who touches an intimate part of another person while that person is unlawfully restrained by the accused or an accomplice, and if the touching is against the will of the person touched and is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of sexual battery. A violation of this subdivision is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, and by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000); or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(b) Any person who touches an intimate part of another person who is institutionalized for medical treatment and who is seriously disabled or medically incapacitated, if the touching is against the will of the person touched, and if the touching is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of sexual battery. A violation of this subdivision is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, and by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000); or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(c) Any person who touches an intimate part of another person for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, and the victim is at the time unconscious of the nature of the act because the perpetrator fraudulently represented that the touching served a professional purpose, is guilty of sexual battery. A violation of this subdivision is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, and by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000); or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(d) Any person who, for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, causes another, against that person’s will while that person is unlawfully restrained either by the accused or an accomplice, or is institutionalized for medical treatment and is seriously disabled or medically incapacitated, to masturbate or touch an intimate part of either of those persons or a third person, is guilty of sexual battery. A violation of this subdivision is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, and by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000); or by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

(e) (1) Any person who touches an intimate part of another person, if the touching is against the will of the person touched, and is for the specific purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, or any person who, for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, causes another, against that person’s will, to masturbate or touch an intimate part of either of those persons or a third person, is guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery, punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment. However, if the defendant was an employer and the victim was an employee of the defendant, the misdemeanor sexual battery shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding three thousand dollars ($3,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any amount of a fine above two thousand dollars ($2,000) which is collected from a defendant for a violation of this subdivision shall be transmitted to the State Treasury and, upon appropriation by the Legislature, distributed to the Civil Rights Department for the purpose of enforcement of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), including, but not limited to, laws that proscribe sexual harassment in places of employment. However, in no event shall an amount over two thousand dollars ($2,000) be transmitted to the State Treasury until all fines, including any restitution fines that may have been imposed upon the defendant, have been paid in full.

(2) As used in this subdivision, “touches” means physical contact with another person, whether accomplished directly, through the clothing of the person committing the offense, or through the clothing of the victim.

(f) A person who violates this section section, after having entered, without consent, an inhabited dwelling house or trailer coach, as defined in Section 635 of the Vehicle Code, or the inhabited portion of any other building, building and commits the violation while in the dwelling house, trailer coach, or inhabited portion of any other building, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year and by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(g) As used in subdivisions (a), (b), (c), and (d), “touches” means physical contact with the skin of another person whether accomplished directly or through the clothing of the person committing the offense.

(h) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) “Intimate part” means the sexual organ, anus, groin, or buttocks of any person, and the breast of a female.

(2) “Sexual battery” does not include the crimes defined in Section 261 or 289.

(3) “Seriously disabled” means a person with severe physical or sensory disabilities.

(4) “Medically incapacitated” means a person who is incapacitated as a result of prescribed sedatives, anesthesia, or other medication.

(5) “Institutionalized” means a person who is located voluntarily or involuntarily in a hospital, medical treatment facility, nursing home, acute care facility, or mental hospital.

(6) “Minor” means a person under 18 years of age.

(i) This section does not limit or prevent prosecution under any other law which also proscribes a course of conduct that also is proscribed by this section.

(j) In the case of a felony conviction for a violation of this section, the fact that the defendant was an employer and the victim was an employee of the defendant shall be a factor in aggravation in sentencing.

(k) In the case of a felony conviction for a violation of this section, the fact that the defendant was employed at a hospital, as defined in Section 243.2, where the offense occurred and the victim was in the defendant’s care or seeking medical care at the hospital shall be a factor in aggravation in sentencing.

(l) A person who commits a violation of subdivision (a), (b), (c), or (d) against a minor when the person has a prior felony conviction for a violation of this section shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

SEC. 4.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.