If you have survived childhood sexual abuse, you no doubt have gone through a lot of upset emotionally and personally. Therefore, you cannot let any more time pass as you may be able to receive some serious compensation.
This money can be used to cover damages for pain and suffering or the conditions you may have developed from the experience. Whether you are younger or older, you should speak to an attorney who specializes in lawsuits involving the sexual abuse of minors.
How a Personal Injuries Attorney Can Help
To ensure closure and to prevent the abuse of other victims, you should seek help from a personal injuries attorney. Allow him or her to steer you in the right direction, so you can be compensated fairly and equitably for the crime.
When you file a lawsuit in a child sexual abuse case, you cannot file a civil cause of action under this classification. Instead, you may include various causes of action under one personal legal claim. These causes of action are filed against the perpetrator in the case.
Causes of Action in Sexual Abuse Cases
While filing several causes of action will not give you more money, it will give you more of an opportunity to win. Some causes of action therefore may include the following:
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress
- Negligent infliction of emotional distress
- Assault
- Battery
Regardless of the legal strategy you use in a sexual abuse civil action, the damages received stem from emotional suffering and physical harm – how you have suffered and how you still are suffering from the experience. Therefore, pain and suffering is the usual compensation in these cases, including compensation for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or panic attacks.
Cases that Include Other Liable Parties
If the sexual abuse incident happened inside a school, place of employment, at a civic organization, or in a church, you may be able to also sue the organization. Holding all the parties responsible for the incident helps in determining compensation.
Unlike a personal injury lawsuit, where the litigant can negotiate a settlement with an insurance company, a sexual abuse lawsuit, or intentional act, is not covered under an insurance policy. So, you must seek compensation by going after the assets of the perpetrator. Adding another party, such as a company or public institution, gives you a better chance to succeed.
Working Out the Details in a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
When you get involved in a sexual abuse lawsuit, it is almost always one that is civil, not criminal, in nature. As a result, school districts, organizations, and churches may be named in this type of lawsuit.
However, if a company’s or institution’s leaders sought to cover up the activity or did not stop the incident, litigants, in these cases, may seek to find the party guilty of criminal charges instead.
Beyond the legal ramifications for the perpetrator, laws also are designed to protect children through the regulation imposed on churches, companies, and similar institutions. In these cases, it is the organization’s legal duty to safeguard children in its care. If this does not happen, the standard principle of negligence applies.
See Where You Stand: Speak to an Attorney Now
Find out how a personal injuries lawyer can help you reach closure in your childhood sexual abuse case. Talk to an attorney now to see how you can seek this type of financial relief.
