Whether sexual abuse occurs in the home, at school, or in the church, sexual abuse survivors often live with the trauma of their experiences their entire lives. This is why, at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, we are committed to fighting for just compensation for sexual abuse survivors.
Our law firm hopes that the compensation awarded for these cases will give victims some peace of mind so they can focus on the long road to healing and recovery.
WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING SEXUAL ABUSE CASES INVOLVING INSTITUTIONS.
IF YOU HAVE A MATTER INVOLVING A RELATIVE OR ACQUAINTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATION
Why Choose Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers
With over $21 million awarded to survivors of sexual abuse, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers has a solid track record of holding perpetrators accountable and fighting to recover compensation for sexual abuse survivors.
Hotel sexual assault case
Coach grooming and abuse
Cruise ship rape settlement
Negligent security assault
Child sexual abuse lawsuit
Therapist sexual abuse settlement
Our legal team is 100% committed to obtaining the highest compensation for clients who have suffered from sexual abuse. We thoroughly investigate each claim to ensure all medical expenses, therapy costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering are fully addressed.
Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault in Rockford, IL
Sexual abuse and sexual assault are defined as any act of sexual contact a person suffers, submits to, participates in, or performs as a result of force or violence, threats, fear, or deception or without having legally consented to the act.
Remember that although sexual abuse can be the result of violence, more often than not, abuse occurs when there is a power imbalance between the perpetrator and victim (e.g., priests and congregants, teachers and students, employers and employees, adults and children).
Through fear and intimidation, the perpetrator gains control over the victim and uses their position to get what they want. In cases of child sexual abuse, any adult is considered an authority figure.
Common Forms of Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse and sexual assault can take many forms and can be verbal, physical, or psychological. Here are some of the most common forms of sexual abuse.
- Rape: Unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force.
- Statutory rape: Sexual intercourse or other sexual relations with a person under the legal age of consent.
- Child sexual abuse: Any interaction between a child and an adult or another child in which the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observer. Sexual abuse can include both touching and non-touching behaviors.
- Sexual harassment: Unwelcome sexual advances, either verbal or physical, especially by someone with power or authority.
- Domestic violence / sexual violence: Sexual assault, abuse, and rape of an intimate partner or spouse who has not consented to the acts.
- Drug-facilitated sexual assault: Sexual assault that occurs when alcohol or drugs are used to compromise an individual’s ability to consent to sexual activity.
- Gang rape: The rape of one person by a group of other people.
- Sexual exploitation: Profiting from the use of another person’s body in a sexual manner.
Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur
Although sexual abuse can occur anywhere, there are some institutions where sexual abuse and sexual assault are more common and where there is a power imbalance of some type.
Here are some of the institutions where sexual abuse is more likely to occur.
- Workplace: Employer and employee, manager and worker;
- Inpatient Treatment Facilities: Doctor and patient, counselor and patient, patient and patient;
- Prisons and Correctional Facilities: Gaurd and prisoner, prisoner and prisoner;
- Foster Care: Foster parent and foster child, foster child and foster child;
- Daycare Facilities and Nursing Homes: Daycare providers and children, nursing home staff and seniors;
- Educational Institutions: Teachers and students, older students and younger students;
- Religious Institutions: Over the past 70 years, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church found that at least 216,000 children were subjected to abuse at the hands of Catholic priests and members of religious orders [2];
- Military Institutions: Officers and cadets, superiors and lower ranking personnel, sexual assault as a form of hazing.
Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you don’t have to go through it alone. Here are some steps you should take if you are a victim of a sex offense.
- Make sure you are safe: Remove yourself from the situation and get away from the perpetrator, and if you are in immediate danger, call 911.
- Don’t alter your appearance: Don’t take a shower or bath or wash off any parts of your body. Also, if you can, don’t go to the bathroom, comb your hair, eat, smoke, drink or take any drugs. This will ensure all evidence can be collected and medical professionals and the police can document what happened.
- Get medical attention: Go to the hospital immediately and tell them what happened. Medical professionals have a protocol for documenting everything properly. Also, if you are a woman and you were raped, you may need to take the morning-after pill. If you’re worried about being exposed to HIV, take a PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis).
- Get support: Reach out to a trusted family member, friend, counselor, or someone you trust to get the emotional support you need. You are not alone.
- Get help: The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault offers resources and can connect you with community-based crisis centers in Chicago, Rockford, and throughout Illinois.
- Seek legal counsel: Seek out counsel from our Rockford sexual abuse lawyers. We can explain the legal process and help you prepare for filing sex offense charges with the police and gathering evidence for future criminal and civil court proceedings.
- Contact law enforcement: If you wish to proceed with criminal charges against the perpetrator, contact law enforcement as soon as possible to start the process.
Compensation Awarded in Sexual Abuse Cases
If you are the victim of sexual abuse, you may be entitled to recover compensation for medical expenses, therapy costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and punitive damages. Our Rockford sexual abuse lawyers have been successful in obtaining seven-figure settlements for many victims of sex crimes, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Liability in Sexual Abuse Cases
Determining liability in sexual abuse cases is much more complicated than focusing on the person who committed the assault. When determining who is liable, there are three types of perpetrators to consider: individual, institution, and fiduciary.
- Individual: One party is responsible.
- Institutional: The abuser is not the only person liable. Damages are sought against the overseeing institution responsible for the abuse through their negligence in preventing abuse, failure to report incidents or inadequate response to complaints. Also, institutions can be complicit due to insufficient background checks, poor supervision, and creating environments where abuse can occur.
- Fiduciary: Abuse occurs between individuals involved in a financial or professional arrangement, such as doctors, therapists, attorneys, teachers, etc.
How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case
In civil cases of sexual abuse, the plaintiff must show–with compelling evidence and at least 51% certainty that a sex crime occurred. Although a criminal case is not a prerequisite to a civil case, evidence gathered from an investigation can be used in civil cases as well.
Here are some types of evidence that should be collected.
- Clothing and other items containing DNA;
- Medical records of the assault;
- Photos, video recordings, online posts, text, and other documentation;
- Statements from counselors or therapists;
- Eyewitness accounts, witnesses, and statements made by the defendant;
- Work-related communications and HR records (workplace assaults).
If seeking compensation from an institution like a school, corporation, church, or detention center, the plaintiff must also prove negligence.
How Our Rockford Sexual Abuse Lawyers Can Help
If you are a victim of sexual abuse, we at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help you by providing guidance on collecting evidence, filing a complaint, and reporting the abuse to law enforcement. We can also represent you in civil proceedings and fight for just compensation.
The Time Limits for Filing a Claim in Rockford, Illinois
In Rockford, IL, adult victims of sexual abuse and assault typically have two years from the date of the most recent incident to file a related claim. For victims of child sexual abuse, there is no statute of limitations for cases filed after January 1st, 2014.
For cases filed before the law changed in 2014, there is a 20-year time limit. The clock starts once the person reaches the age of 18, when a disability is removed, or when they discover an act of child sex abuse caused an injury.
As of 2020, there is no statute of limitations on criminal sexual abuse cases against alleged offenders in Illinois.
Contact a Rockford Sexual Abuse Lawyer Today!
If you are a victim of sexual abuse, let Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers take care of navigating the legal process so you can focus on your healing journey. Not only will we handle the legal process on your behalf, but we will fight to get the compensation you deserve to help pay for medical expenses, therapy, lost wages, and anything else you need on the road to recovery.
Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 or fill out our online contact form.