Sexual abuse is a devastating experience that leaves victims suffering its negative impacts for decades. With the right team on your side, you can file a claim against your abuser.
If you need legal support in Texas because of sexual abuse, turn to the expert sexual assault lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers. We work with victims of abuse to take legal action and seek compensation for personal injury through civil lawsuits.
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
When you work with Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, you choose a law firm that prioritizes your needs and goals above all else. Our mission is to get you the highest compensation in your sexual abuse case, making sure you’re compensated for the trauma you’ve faced. Our team is highly experienced in handling the complexities of sexual abuse and sexual harassment cases.
Hotel sexual assault case
Coach grooming and abuse
Cruise ship rape settlement
Negligent security assault
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Therapist sexual abuse settlement
With compassion and sensitivity for our clients, we fight tirelessly to reclaim what you’ve lost through financial compensation for medical care, therapy, lost wages, and emotional suffering. We’re ready to represent your best interests and hold your abuser accountable for the harm they have caused you.
Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault
The term sexual abuse refers to sexual activity where there is no consent or consent is coerced.
Anyone can be a sex abuse victim, but sometimes the term sexual assault is used for adult victims, while abuse is used for minors or those more at risk due to a power imbalance. Children are always victims when involved in sexual activity because they may not legally consent.
Common Forms of Sexual Abuse
Sexual predators commit various acts against victims, each of which is harmful and traumatizing to the victim. Here are some of the common forms of sexual abuse:
- Rape: Any type of sexual penetration that is non-consensual, forced, or coerced.
- Attempted rape: Attempts to force sexual penetration on a victim.
- Unwanted touching or fondling: Touching a victim in an inappropriate or sexual manner, either over or under clothing. This refers to touching of the victim or forced touching of the abuser.
- Forcing victims to perform sexual acts: Non-consensual sexual acts done to the victim or to the abuser by the victim through some kind of force. Sexual acts can include things such as oral sex, masturbation, and kissing.
- Sexual harassment: Repeated, uninvited, and unwelcome verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature. This often includes efforts to force a victim to perform sexual actions with the abuser.
This list is a summary of common examples of sex abuse. For sex crimes involving minors, the list of what is defined as sexual abuse tends to be broader because minors cannot consent.
Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur
We handle many cases of sexual assault that take place in an institutional setting. Despite a reasonable expectation of safety, victims experience sexual assault fairly commonly in these institutions:
Workplaces
This typically occurs in either the workplace of the victim, the perpetrator, or both.
Inpatient Treatment Facilities
These can be medical facilities of any kind where the victim was receiving treatment.
Foster Care
Children can fall victim to foster parents or others working in the foster care system who are sexual predators.
Daycare Facilities
Child sexual abuse can be committed by members of staff at a daycare or by others allowed to enter the facility.
Educational Institutions
Teachers or any other staff members may commit sexual assault against children or adult pupils.
Religious Institutions
A clergy member can commit sexual assault.
Nursing Homes
Nursing care staff often have the opportunity to abuse residents.
Sports Clubs
Staff of sports clubs abuse members of the club, participants in a sport, or spectators.
Military Institutions
Sexual assault committed by a member of the military on another or on a civilian.
Hotels and Short-Term Rentals
Guests or staff working for short-term rental properties like Airbnb, hotel rooms, or other hotel facilities can fall victim to sexual abuse.
Shelters
Sexual abuse can be committed by people taking advantage of their position working for the organization itself.
Cases of sexual assault have also been brought against clergy members, personal caregivers, and even foster parents and school teachers. We represent victims of sexual assault who are seeking justice against the organization where the incident occurred.
Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault
If you’ve been a victim of sexual assault, make sure to take steps immediately to ensure your safety. Get to a place where you’re physically away from your abuser.
Once you’re somewhere safe, take steps to capture evidence immediately. Some evidence, such as medical reports or physical evidence, are time-sensitive and should be collected as quickly as possible. A medical examiner can check for sexually transmitted diseases, injuries, and other signs of physical contact between you and your sexual abusers.
Contacting a Texas sexual assault lawyer helps you make the right choices early on to strengthen your case. Our compassionate team of attorneys is experienced in handling sensitive cases like yours, and we can guide you through the steps you need to take.
Sexual assault survivors in Texas can reach out for support from these organizations:
- National Sexual Abuse Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
- SAFE Hotline
- Texas Association Against Sexual Assault
Compensation for Sexual Abuse Victims
In civil cases filed by Texas sexual assault victims, compensation can be received for both economic losses like medical care or treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as non-economic losses like emotional distress.
There is no set amount of compensation victims of sexual assault can receive. The compensation amount will be based on the severity of the abuse, the age of the victim, who the abuser was, and the level of evidence.
When taking legal action, our priority is to seek financial compensation to meet all of your needs. Compensation can bring closure and allow you to recover from your financial and emotional hardships.
Liability in Sexual Abuse Cases
Individuals who sexually abuse others can be held directly liable for their actions through a civil lawsuit, but often, the institutions they work for can also be held liable.
Institutions can be sued as a result of vicarious liability. This is a legal theory making an institution liable for sexual assault committed by someone while performing the activities related to their role. The victim must show the institution was either negligent in preventing abuse or complicit in the act of abuse.
Negligence typically occurs through inaction. Common examples of inaction are failure to act on reports of abuse, insufficient policies to prevent abuse, or failure to report abuse. Complicity can be shown through actions that allow an abuser to commit abuse unhindered, such as failing to do background checks before hiring, creating an environment where abuse can take place or poor employee supervision.
Some institutions are subject to additional requirements to protect people from abuse. Violation of these requirements may be enough to show negligence. For educational facilities in Texas, Title IX regulations dictate what should be done to protect students from sexual harassment and abuse. In religious institutions, clergy members taking advantage of the power imbalances between them and the congregation can also indicate negligence.
It’s vital to show that an institution’s actions, inaction, or illegal conduct enabled the abuse for it to be included in the lawsuit.
How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case
Sexual assault cases rely on showing evidence of sexual activity and showing how the abuse caused harm to the victim. It follows this general process:
- Gathering evidence: Before a case is brought, the victim’s claims must be investigated, and evidence will be collected to support those claims. After a lawsuit is filed, further evidence may be uncovered against the abuser and the institution named in the lawsuit.
- Connecting the abuse to the institution: Victims of sexual assault must provide evidence the institution their abuser worked for is vicariously liable for the abuse they suffered.
- Demonstrating harm caused by the abuse: Victims seeking financial compensation must show how the abuse they endured has caused personal injury and loss.
An experienced sexual abuse lawyer is vital to building a solid case. With years of experience, we understand how to work with sexual assault victims compassionately, as well as what to look for when searching for evidence to support your claims.
Our Texas sexual assault lawyers work with legal specialists who can provide their expert perspectives on the evidence gathered. This is integral to supporting your claims, especially related to the long-term harm caused by abuse, such as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
How Our Texas Sexual Abuse Attorneys Can Help
Our legal team has worked with many victims of sexual assault and other sexual violence. Together, we have built solid cases and recovered compensation from sexual predators and the organizations that employ them.
Whether you were a victim of child sex abuse or you faced sexual assault as an adult, we undertake thorough investigations to bring everything to light. Once we have gathered all the evidence, we’ll research similar cases to yours to reference during negotiations or trials. With this information, we’ll recruit experts to support your claims.
From the moment you decide to work with us, we’ll be in your corner, helping you build an airtight case that shows precisely why you deserve the compensation you’re asking for.
The Time Limits for Filing a Claim in Texas
Up until 2019, the statute of limitations for filing a civil sexual assault lawsuit was two years under Texas law. However, updates to the law in 2019 extended this period to 5 years for victims who were sexually abused as adults and 30 years for victims of childhood sexual assault. The same limitations apply to aggravated sexual assault.
The statute of limitations for a criminal case is ten years from the date of the offense. There is no limitation on when criminal childhood sexual assault cases must be filed. All criminal charges are handled by the state or federal government rather than private law firms.
Contact a Texas Sexual Assault Lawyer Today!
If you’ve been the victim of a sexual assault or abuse, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can take you through the legal process to file a civil lawsuit against your abuser, representing you to secure the maximum financial settlement. Our experienced team of sexual assault lawyers is ready to take your sexual assault case from consult to recovery. There’s no reason to go through this alone.
Contact us today at 888-424-5757 or fill out the online form.