Passionately Fighting for Your Rights
Sexual abuse or sexual assault occurs when sexual activity is carried out upon a victim against the victim’s will, as well as in situations where the victim is unable to properly consent to sexual activity. These reasons may include, but are not limited to, the victim’s age, physical or mental limitations, or the victim’s relationship to the offender. Unfortunately, sexual abuse cases of minors can involve perpetrators who abuse their positions of power and trust such as relatives, teachers, friends, priests/pastors, foster parents, police officers, etc. In addition to potentially bringing criminal charges, victims of sexual abuse may also bring a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator or a negligent third party who may be responsible for the abuse and its effects.
Examples of potentially responsible third parties include:
- Organizations, supervisors and managers responsible for the actions of their employees;
- Property owners who fail to provide adequate security;
- Parents who fail to supervise their children who commit sexual abuse or assault;
- Employers who negligently hire or continue to employ someone who assaults or abuses a victim
- Mandated reporters who fail to report suspected abuse
Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assaults Statistics
In the United States, at least 20% of women and approximately 5-10% of men are sexually abused as children. This can be psychologically devastating to a child, and the costs associated with health and psychological care over the span of one’s life can be astounding. Under the law, certain individuals such as doctors, dentists, psychologists, nurses, teachers, school officials, police officers, social workers, and day care workers are considered mandated reporters who are required under those laws to report suspected incidences of child abuse or maltreatment. If the mandated reporter fails to report the child abuse or maltreatment as prescribed by law, he or she can be convicted of a misdemeanor crime and can also be held civilly responsible for the damages caused by the failure to report sexual abuse.
Contact Personal Injury Attorneys
Cases involving sexual abuse are extremely sensitive and require the expertise of an attorney who is both compassionate and experienced in working with sexual abuse victims. Our personal injury attorneys are committed to helping victims of sexual abuse. We have access to preeminent experts in this field, and work closely with them to protect the rights of sexual abuse victims. Our trusted legal team will do everything in our power to ensure you don’t face this difficult time alone.