Sexual Abuse Lawyer Lowell MA

Sexual abuse is a horrible crime that can impact your life physically and emotionally for years. At Injury Lawyer Team, we are committed to supporting abuse survivors.

Incidences of violent crimes, including rape, are declining in Lowell. [1] However, even one instance of sexual abuse, including clergy sexual abuse, is too many. If you have been the victim of sexual abuse, we can help. Our lawyers provide the strongest legal support to get the justice you deserve.

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

Injury Lawyer Team is committed to helping our clients receive the highest compensation they can get for their sexual abuse. We have a proven track record of securing favorable settlements and verdicts, ensuring that all medical expenses, therapy costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering are fully addressed in the settlement.

Our compassionate and experienced legal team is well-versed in handling the sensitive cases. We fight relentlessly to protect your rights. We prioritize your healing and do what we can to promote your financial recovery so you can move on.

Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault

Massachusetts does not explicitly define sexual abuse and sexual assault under the law. However, it is part of broader legal statutes.

These statutes specifically call out the following:

• Sexual abuse: These crimes can instill fear of imminent serious physical harm or cause another to involuntarily engage in sexual relations under coercion, force, or threat. Sexual abuse crimes may involve a power imbalance, which is when a person in a position of authority takes advantage of the situation or another person. For example, sports coaches and youth athletes.
• Indecent assault and battery: Crimes that involve inappropriately touching another person. The perpetrator may have touched another person’s breasts, private parts, or other areas without consent.
• Rape: Is specifically called out by Massachusetts law, independent of other sexual abuse or sexual assault clauses. In general, Massachusetts defines rape as sexual intercourse with a person by force or against their will. It includes child sexual abuse and sexual abuse between adults.

Understanding sexual abuse and sexual assault in Lowell begins with acknowledging the lack of consent between the parties for the sexual activity to occur. The abuser took advantage of their position of power to assault or abuse you for their sexual gratification. Consent is also determined by looking at a person’s age. Massachusetts law states the legal age of consent is 16.

The consequences of sexual abuse and assault will vary based on the severity of the crime. This includes the damages and compensation you can recover for its impact on your life.

Common Forms of Sexual Abuse

Many of our clients are victims of sexual abuse, and they don’t even know it. Typical forms of sexual abuse can include, but are not limited to, the following behaviors or situations.

• Dating and Domestic Violence: Sexual abuse that occurs between intimate partners, either when they are dating, married, or in a committed partnership. This type of sexual abuse can be between current or former partners, even if you have consented in the past to sexual relations. Many victims may not know they are victims of dating or domestic violence because they do not believe their partner can assault them. This is not the case.
• Rape: A type of forced, non-consensual intercourse between parties. It is often a violent crime, usually accompanied by threats, manipulation, and other behaviors. Rape is outlined explicitly under Massachusetts law.
• Stalking: A pattern of behavior when another constantly harasses an individual. Additional behaviors may accompany the stalking, including threats, sexual harassment, and more.
• Child sexual abuse: Sexual abuse of a minor by another minor or an adult. There does not have to be touching for child sexual assault to occur. It can also include non-contact sexual activities like sharing inappropriate materials or the sexual exploitation of minors. There are specific provisions for child sexual abuse under Massachusetts law.
• Voyeurism: A behavior when one person watches you intimately when you reasonably expect privacy without your consent. This type of behavior is a psychological condition where the individual often receives sexual satisfaction from watching the intimate behaviors, either live or via recordings.

Many behaviors could qualify as sexual abuse, even if no physical touching has occurred. It can be challenging to navigate the nuances of different types of sexual behaviors and their consequences. Based on your case, Injury Lawyer Team can help you recommend the proper legal action in Lowell to recover maximum compensation.

Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur

There are common institutions in Lowell where sexual abuse is most likely to occur, often due to power imbalances in play within the organizational structure. Because of this, we handle cases in the following areas.

• Workplace: Sexual abuse can occur in professional settings where you work, and we are here to help.
• Inpatient treatment facilities: Rehabs and mental health centers can also be popular places for sexual abuse to occur between patient to patient or administrators to patient.
• Correctional facilities: Sexual abuse can happen in prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities between inmates or employees.
• Foster care system: Foster homes and government facilities often have cases of sexual abuse.
• Daycare facilities: Sexual abuse may take place where people are watching over children or adults with special needs of any age.
• Long-term care homes: Facilities like assisted living and nursing homes can have cases between clients and staff.
• Educational institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities that serve students of all ages may have cases of assault.
• Religious institutions: Churches, religious programming, and camps have come under increased scrutiny recently based on clergy sexual abuse cases and other crimes.
• Sports clubs: Private, public, and school teams may foster environments where abuse can occur.
• Military institutions: Abuse can happen within all branches of the armed forces, and there is even a term for military sexual trauma based on the volume of abuse that occurs in the military.
• Hospitality industry: Because a lot of people are coming and going, abuse can happen at short-term rentals and hotels.
• Shelters: Unfortunately, places where people seek assistance can also foster abuse, including homeless shelters, domestic abuse shelters, and other temporary housing facilities.
• Medical field: Medical professionals, doctor’s offices, hospitals, and more can abuse their power and commit sexual abuse.

Ultimately, sexual abuse can happen anywhere and by anyone, including people in positions of power that you trust. If you are a survivor of any time of sexual violence, you have rights.

Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault

If you are the victim of sexual assault within Lowell, there are steps that you can take that can help you if you choose to seek legal charges in the future.

• The most important thing you can do is take immediate steps to ensure your safety and well-being. All other things can wait until you are in a safe space.
• Next, you want to document everything. Write down everything you can remember. What happened, where it happened, and who did it? Take pictures of any physical evidence or bruising. Be as specific as you can. We recognize this can be difficult, but the more details you have, the stronger your case will be.
• Seek the help of an experienced legal professional like Injury Lawyer Team. We can help you navigate the entire legal process, guiding you through every step, from filing charges to sitting in the courtroom.
• In Lowell, Massachusetts, survivors can access support through local organizations like The Center for Hope and Healing and the Wayside Youth & Family Support Network.

You do not have to be defined by the sexual abuse that happened to you, and we can help you take back your control.

Compensation for Sexual Abuse Victims

When you are sexually abused in Lowell, there are different types of compensation that you can pursue. What you qualify for depends on your specific case, and Injury Lawyer Team are here to help you recover fair compensation for past, current, and future damages that occurred as a result of the sexual assault.

This includes the following areas.

• Medical expenses: Hospital bills, ambulance rides, doctor’s visits, health examinations, and all other relevant medical expenses are covered.
• Mental health expenses: Therapy, counseling, and other mental health treatment that you sought as a result of the abuse.
• Pain and suffering: This is intangible but still a type of damage you can pursue.
• Emotional distress and trauma: You can recover compensation for the emotional impact the sexual assault or abuse had on your life.
• Lost wages: You can get compensated if you missed work or lost your job as a result of the sexual assault.
• Punitive damages: You can seek punitive damages to punish the abuser and deter the abuse from happening again.

Compensation for sexual assault cases varies based on the following factors.

• Severity of abuse
• Length of abuse
• Impact of the assault
• The age of the victim
• Evidence of the abuse

Liability in Sexual Abuse Cases

Liability is the legal term for responsibility, and we do our best to hold all parties responsible for the actions that occurred. This includes the perpetrator or perpetrators and any relevant institutions or third parties.

Institutions and other third parties can be held vicariously liable. This means even though they didn’t commit the act themselves, they are still responsible for the act happening.

Examples of this can be:

• Negligence in preventing abuse: Institutions are often held liable when they don’t complete background checks. They can also fail to supervise the area properly, which creates an environment for abuse to thrive.
• Failure to report incidents: Institutions are obligated to report incidents promptly. Those who try to keep it quiet or refuse to report it are often liable for damages.
• Inadequate response to complaints: Third parties should take every claim seriously and ensure the victim’s safety. They can be held liable if they ignore a single claim.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are many additional ways that institutions can be held liable for sexual assault.

Federally funded institutions within Lowell are required to uphold Title IX. This federal statute prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics, including sex. Sexual harassment qualifies as a violation under Title IX. Institutions take Title IX seriously, as it could result in a loss of funding.

There are various power dynamics at play at many institutions, which can cause people in power to take advantage of them for sexual gain. If the institutions do not take steps to prevent sexual assaults from happening, they could be held liable for the behavior within their organizational structure under Massachusetts law.

How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case

There are several steps your legal representation can take to establish liability in your Lowell sexual abuse case.

• We gather evidence of the crime and supporting details that provide the institution’s direct or indirect involvement.
• We use the evidence to prove negligence or intentional misconduct. We explore what ways the institution could have prevented the sexual abuse if the proper safety precautions had been taken place.
• Once we have proven negligence or intentional misconduct, we use that to prove a link between the abuse and the harm suffered to help you get compensated.

Legal experts partner with you to build a strong case and answer any questions you may have about liability. We provide the necessary legal guidance to our clients to help them understand their cases and what it means for their financial recovery.

How Our Lowell Sexual Abuse Lawyers Can Help

Our lawyers can help you throughout the entire legal process.

• We help you build your case, gathering evidence to ensure you can bring all parties to justice.
• We help you navigate the legal process, recommending the proper legal remedies to obtain the maximum compensation.
• We help you in the courtroom, acting as your voice during the legal proceedings.

We take our responsibility to help sexual assault survivors seriously and advocate on their behalf to recover compensation for everything that happened to them.

The Time Limits for Filing a Claim in Lowell, MA

The statute of limitations for civil cases in Lowell depends on the type of sexual abuse that occurred, including how old you were when it happened.

• Child Sexual Abuse: Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 260 § 4C, the statute of limitations is 35 years after the final act of abuse occurred or within seven years of discovering damages as a result of abuse.
• Adult Sexual Abuse: The statute of limitations is three years from the date of the abuse. There are no exceptions.

Because the statute of limitations can be confusing, especially for child sex abuse victims in Lowell, it’s essential to consult with a lawyer to understand what your options are.

Contact a Lowell Sexual Abuse Lawyer Today!

For a free consultation, contact us at 866-757-6452 or by filling out a contact form on our website.

Related Practice Areas

• Boston Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Cambridge Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Springfield Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Worcester Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Resources: [1] City Data