Sexual abuse and assault are incredibly traumatic experiences to go through, no matter how old you are. The trauma from the event or prolonged abuse will continue to impact survivors for years afterward. That’s why Injury Lawyer Team is committed to helping sexual abuse victims seek justice in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Our experienced and compassionate legal team understands how these cases work and how to guide survivors through the legal process with care while still fighting to protect their rights.

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Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

When it comes to handling sexual abuse or assault cases in Erie, you need sexual abuse lawyers who know what they’re doing. Injury Lawyer Team knows Pennsylvania law and has the experience to handle your case successfully.

We’ve built a team of passionate and skilled attorneys who know what it takes to obtain justice for sexual abuse survivors, and we’ll work tirelessly to ensure we get that as well as compensation. We strive to obtain the highest compensation settlement for our clients based on their cases so they can rebuild their lives and bring their abuser to justice.

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Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault

Sexual assault and abuse are very serious experiences no one should ever have to go through. Unfortunately, there are some actions people don’t even realize are actually considered sexual abuse and assault.

Essentially, any unwanted or non-consensual sexual act or behavior can fall into these categories. It can be anything from watching someone undress without their knowledge to forceful rape. In many cases, there’s some sort of power imbalance and always a lack of genuine consent.

Consent needs to be freely given for a sexual act or behavior not to fall into this category. Not only does it need to be given freely and without coercion, but consent can be taken away at any point. There are also situations where someone might say “yes” but, due to their mental status, age, or the effects of alcohol or drugs, aren’t legally able to give consent.

Common Forms of Sexual Abuse

Many things constitute sexual abuse or assault. Some of the most common forms of sexual abuse and assault are:

Child Sexual Abuse: Any kind of sexual activity between an adult and a minor. It can be anything ranging from touching to showing sexual content to penetration.
Statutory Rape: Sexual intercourse with an older minor. This typically happens between adults and teenagers who believe they can legally consent but can’t.
Digital Sexual Abuse: Also known as revenge porn, this is when someone sends or shows another person photos or videos of someone undressing or performing sexual acts without their knowledge or consent.
Sexual Harassment: Unwanted sexual advances, usually in the form of a sexual joke, touching, or asking for sexual favors.
Voyeurism: Watching someone undress or perform sexual acts without their consent or knowledge.
Incest: Sexual abuse within a family, often between an adult and a minor child.
Sexual Assault and Rape: Non-consensual penetration, often involving some level of violence, but it doesn’t have to be violent to be sexual assault or rape.
Sexual Exploitation: Coercing or manipulating someone into sexual acts for some sort of personal or financial gain.

Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur

Even though sexual abuse and assault can happen anywhere at any time, there are certain institutions where we see sexual abuse cases more frequently. At Injury Lawyer Team, we’re prepared to handle cases at the following institutions:

Sports Clubs: Sexual abuse can happen to someone in a sports club by other teammates, coaches, team doctors, or anyone else involved in the sport.
Military Institutions: Most cases of sexual abuse or assault in military institutions go unreported, but we’ll fight to protect survivors’ rights.
Hotels and Short-Term Rentals: Since these locations are more transient, predators often frequent them and attack unsuspecting guests.
Shelters: Those in shelters are looking for a safe place, but since this puts them in a vulnerable place, they’re more prone to sexual assault and abuse.
Prisons and Correctional Facilities: Just because someone’s in prison doesn’t mean they deserve to be sexually assaulted or abused. Whether it’s by other inmates or guards, we’ll represent you.
Foster Care: We’ll fight to protect the rights of children within our foster care system who’ve been sexually assaulted or abused by other foster children, social workers, foster parents, or anyone else.
Workplace: Whether your superior or a peer is harassing you at work, we’ll help defend your rights.
Inpatient Treatment Facilities: When staff or another patient attacks someone in an inpatient treatment facility, we’ll help hold the perpetrator and institution liable.
Daycare Facilities and Nursing Homes: These places are meant to protect and care for children and the elderly, so we’ll be there when they fail to do so.
Educational Institutions: Whether it’s an elementary school or major college campus, we’ll help sexual abuse victims seek justice and compensation.
Religious Institutions: Clergy abuse is more common than you think, and we’ll work to bring the abuser to justice and end the cycle of systemic abuse.

Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault

Immediately after sexual assault, there are steps you should consider taking:

Remove yourself from the area where the perpetrator is, and stay safe.
Visit a hospital for medical care and a rape kit.
Report the sexual assault or abuse to the Erie authorities.
Document as much as you can.
Preserve evidence by not showering right away.
Seek support from loved ones or local resources like the Crime Victim Center of Erie.
Consider hiring experienced sexual abuse lawyers.

Let’s discuss the specifics of your case

Compensation for Sexual Abuse Victims

If you’ve been sexually abused or assaulted in Erie, you’re more than likely entitled to compensation. No amount of money can undo what’s been done, but it’s a great resource to have for financial support as you heal. We’ve been successful in helping survivors secure compensation for things like:

Medical and therapy costs
Pain and suffering
Lost wages
Loss of enjoyment of life
Emotional distress

Everyone’s circumstances are different in these cases, so your settlement might not be the same as someone else’s. The factors that will affect the overall settlement amount you might receive are:

The strength of the evidence we can provide;
The severity and duration of the sexual abuse;
The degree of negligence by any institutions involved;
The impact the sexual abuse or assault has had on your life.

Liability in Sexual Abuse Cases

Understanding how liability works in these sensitive cases is important when it comes to seeking justice. Even though the individual perpetrator is responsible for the sexual abuse or assault, there are times when an institution can be held liable as well, especially if it’s within their duty to prevent these crimes from happening.

Institutional liability is a huge part of civil claims, and there are several ways in which we can hold an institution liable for sexual abuse or assault:

Vicarious Liability: Even if an institution is not negligent, it can still be held responsible for the actions of its employees or agents.
Negligent Hiring or Supervision: Institutions that fail to supervise or screen their employees properly can be liable for civil claims.
Negligent Response to Complaints: When an institution is aware of complaints but doesn’t investigate, report, or take action to address them, it can be held liable.
Failure to Report: Many institutions are mandated reporting institutions, and failing to report allegations or suspicions of abuse can be a grave injustice.

A few examples of institutional liability in sexual abuse and assault cases are:

A teacher abusing a student and other teachers or the school district hearing the allegations but failing to report the alleged abuse.
If hotels fail to conduct appropriate background checks on employees and then they sexually abuse or assault guests or other hotel employees.

How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case

As your trusted sexual abuse or assault attorneys, we’ll do everything we can to show the perpetrator or an institution is liable for what happened to you. We have a thorough strategy to do this, which includes:

Gathering evidence, including police reports and medical records.
Establishing a timeline to show any patterns of abuse.
Seeking expert testimony that can enhance your case.
Demonstrating negligence on the institutions’ part through hiring or another avenue.
Documenting all the ways that the incident impacted your life to prove the damages that it caused.
Building a narrative that showcases the full scope of what happened to you.

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How Our Erie Sexual Abuse Lawyers Can Help

When you’re ready to seek compensation and justice for what happened to you, the attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team will be there to represent you. Through our compassionate and determined approach, we’ll be able to fight for justice. We can help your case in Erie by:

Providing you with a free consultation to discuss your case and legal options.
Investigate your case and gather as much evidence as possible to secure compensation.
Crafting a legal strategy to boost your chances of seeing justice and compensation for damages.
Negotiating with all the liable parties and any insurance companies, if applicable.
Fighting for your rights in court if we can’t settle negotiations.
Offering you access to different support resources to help you heal.

The Time Limits for Filing a Civil Claim in Erie, PA

Filing civil charges for sexual abuse and assault cases has a statute of limitations. Understanding how much time you have to file a civil claim in Pennsylvania is one of the best ways to ensure you can seek justice and start to take back your power. Knowing the limitations means you know how long you have to make a decision before the decision is made for you.

For child sexual abuse, you have until you turn 30 to file civil charges against your abuser. If you’ve been sexually assaulted or abused as an adult, you have from two years after the date of the assault.

Contact Our Erie Sexual Abuse Attorneys Today!

Jonathan Rosenfeld, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been sexually abused or assaulted, you’re entitled to compensation. While no money can erase what happened, it’s a great way to have help financially as you heal and ensure the perpetrator or institution is held responsible for their actions or negligence. Injury Lawyer Team is committed to helping you seek justice.

We’ll provide the compassionate support and determination you need when you fight for compensation. If you’re ready to make your voice heard, contact us online to schedule your free consultation, or call us 24/7 at 866-757-6452.

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