Sexual Abuse Lawyer Maryland

Sexual abuse leaves lasting scars, affecting victims for a lifetime, regardless of who they are or when it happened.

If you’re a survivor of Maryland sexual abuse, Injury Lawyer Team are here to help you seek justice and secure compensation for your suffering. We are dedicated to supporting sexual abuse survivors through the legal process with compassion and unwavering commitment.

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

The team at Injury Lawyer Team works tirelessly to get the highest compensation for sexual abuse victims. We work on your behalf to investigate all claims involved in your case, ensuring that every medical, psychological, and emotional injury you’ve suffered from the sexual offense is accounted for in compensation.

We guide abuse victims through every step of the legal process. Because of our expertise in dealing with sex abuse claims, we know how to work with sensitivity without compromising results. Our top priority is getting you closure through financial recovery; we’re willing to fight for it.

Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault

Sexual abuse is defined as any form of non-consensual sexual activity. The terms sexual abuse and sexual assault are often used interchangeably. Still, abuse is mainly used to refer specifically to situations involving minors or power imbalances between the victim and perpetrator, while assault is typically used for cases involving adult victims.

Any sexual activity between an adult and a minor is sexual abuse because a minor is not legally able to consent.

Common Forms of Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is a broad term that encompasses all nonconsensual sex acts. Common forms of sexual abuse include:

• Rape or attempted rape: Rape is any type of sexual penetration that is nonconsensual, forced, or coerced.
• Unwanted touching or fondling: Touching the victim’s body over or under clothing inappropriately or sexually. Victims may also be forced to touch or fondle the abuser.
• Forcing victims to perform sexual acts: Sexual acts performed on the abuser or the victim without the victim’s consent. Examples of sexual acts include oral sex, masturbation, and kissing.
• Sexual harassment: A broad term usually used as a catchall for repeated, unwanted sexual contact, solicitations, or actions against a victim who is not consenting. Harassment usually occurs when the abuser is in a privileged position over the victim.
• Clergy Sexual abuse: Sexual offenses by religious leaders, often exploiting their authority and trust within the community.
• Child Sex Abuse: Involves any sexual activity with child victims, often resulting in deep trauma and long-lasting psychological effects.

This list is not exhaustive of everything that constitutes sexual violence, especially if the victim is a minor. Child sexual abuse encompasses any type of sexual misconduct at all, including sexualized conversations, watching pornography, or taking inappropriately sexual images. Any time a minor is involved in sexual activity with an adult, it is likely child sexual abuse.

Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur

Sexual abuse can happen anywhere, and while the perpetrator may be directly responsible, the organization they worked for might also share liability, especially in settings where safety is expected.

We handle cases of sexual abuse that occur within institutional settings, including:

• Workplace: Abuse in the workplace often involves supervisors, coworkers, or clients exploiting power dynamics to commit sexual misconduct.
• Inpatient Treatment Facilities: Patients in mental health or rehabilitation centers may suffer abuse from staff who take advantage of their vulnerable state and dependence on care.
• Foster Care: Children in foster care are at high risk of abuse by caregivers, who may exploit their position of trust and the child’s lack of stability.
• Prisons and Correctional Facilities: Inmates may be abused by guards or other prisoners, often in environments with limited oversight and reporting mechanisms.
• Daycare Facilities and Nursing Homes: Both children and older adults can be victims of abuse in daycare facilities and nursing homes, where caregivers may take advantage of their dependency and inability to report.
• Educational Institutions: Teachers, coaches, or other school staff may commit abuse, exploiting their authority and the trust placed in them by students and parents.
• Religious Institutions: Clergy and religious leaders may abuse their power within religious institutions like the catholic church, using their position to manipulate and exploit vulnerable individuals.
• Nursing Homes: Elderly residents in nursing homes may be subject to sexual abuse by staff members or other residents, especially in poorly supervised environments.
• Sports Clubs: Coaches and trainers may abuse athletes, often under the guise of mentorship or training, taking advantage of their authoritative role.
• Military Institutions: Service members may experience sexual abuse from superiors or peers, with the hierarchical nature of the military making it difficult to report such incidents.
• Hotels and Short-Term Rentals: Guests may be vulnerable to abuse in transient settings like hotels, where anonymity and a lack of oversight can facilitate such actions.
• Shelters: Individuals seeking refuge in shelters may face abuse from staff or other residents who exploit their vulnerability and desperate situations.

These sexual assault cases often involve an employee or contractor abusing their authority within an institution. Our team helps victims of sexual abuse pursue legal action against the perpetrator and the institution that enabled the abuse.

Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault

The first step victims of sexual abuse need to take is to get to a safe place. You need to be physically away from your abuser to avoid any continued harm. If your abuser is a person of power, stay outside of their reach as much as you’re able.

When you’re in a safe place, begin to document any evidence of abuse that you may have access to. Look for communication records, medical evidence, or physical evidence that can be used to build your case.

It’s a good idea to contact a sexual abuse lawyer as soon as possible to get information on how to proceed. An experienced legal team will be able to help you take the right steps immediately to make your case stronger and help you find a path to financial recovery.

Survivors of sexual abuse in Maryland can get support from these organizations:

• National Sexual Abuse Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
• Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Turn Around Maryland

Support can have a huge impact on your healing and overall well-being. Reaching out for support provides you with a reliable place to access necessary resources and get answers to your questions.

Consult our Maryland sexual abuse lawyers

Sexual abuse victims can receive financial compensation for both monetary losses and non-economic losses. Examples of economic losses include medical care or therapy required because of the abuse, while non-economic losses might consist of emotional damages, pain and suffering, or loss of capacity to enjoy life.

In Maryland, compensation for sexual abuse cases will depend on the severity of the assault, the strength of the evidence, the liability of the organization involved, and the reputation of that organization. Documentation of personal evidence from the victim and evidence against the

Liability in Sexual Abuse Cases

In a civil lawsuit, the victim can hold the abuser directly liable for the sexual assault. Additionally, the institution where the abuse occurred may also be held liable, especially if the misconduct was committed by someone acting within the scope of their role. Such abuse is known as institutional liability or vicarious liability.

Institutions have a responsibility to take basic steps to prevent abuse. If they fail to act or take actions that make them complicit in the abuse, they can be held liable. For example, if an institution fails to report sexual assault incidents that happen under its supervision, this inaction could establish liability.

Similarly, if complaints of sexual assault are made against someone within the institution and no appropriate actions are taken, the institution may be liable for creating an environment where abuse can occur.

The power dynamics within religious communities can contribute to complicity in abuse. A typical example is when Catholic clergy members accused of child sex abuse are transferred to new parishes instead of being held accountable.

Even less obvious actions, like failing to conduct background checks on new employees who then go on to commit sexual assault, can also indicate complicity.

In organizations subject to Title IX regulations, such as high schools, daycares, or colleges, failing to follow these regulations is a clear sign of negligence. Title IX was partly established to prevent sexual harassment and childhood sexual abuse. Any organization that ignores these regulations risks a civil lawsuit if sexual assault occurs.

How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case

Victims who pursue a civil lawsuit in a sexual assault case must show that the abuse happened and demonstrate who’s responsible for it. Once this is established, you must show how the sexual abuse committed impacted you and why you deserve the compensation you requested.

These steps are the basic process your case will follow:

Gathering evidence

To build a strong case against your abuser, you’ll need evidence that shows the abuse happened, what took place, the severity of the abuse, and how it impacted you. Evidence you can use includes physical reports on your health, electronic communications, records from the organization, and more.

Proving institutional liability

With a case built against your abuser, you now need to show how the institution your abuser works with is vicariously liable for the abuse. Investigate to find evidence that shows the actions they took that encouraged the abuse to happen to the inaction that created an environment where abuse was likely. This link brings the institution into the lawsuit instead of just the individual abuser.

Linking abuse and harmful impacts

The final part of your case is establishing that the suffering you’re experiencing is a direct result of the sexual assault you suffered. It’s helpful to have expert opinions to support your claims of mental health challenges related to abuse.

An experienced sexual abuse lawyer can guide you in identifying and gathering the necessary evidence for your case. Our legal team and investigators will work tirelessly to collect evidence, navigate legal procedures, and present a strong argument in court to bring your abuser to justice through civil litigation.

How Our Maryland Sexual Abuse Lawyers Can Help

While you can handle some legal processes on your own, sexual assault lawsuits require the expertise of a skilled law firm. At Injury Lawyer Team, we are committed to securing the highest compensation payouts for our clients.

It all starts with a consultation, where you’ll share the details of your sexual assault claims. We’ll conduct a thorough investigation and gather evidence using this information. Our experienced investigators know exactly what to look for and where to find it.

We also assist by researching related sexual assault cases in Maryland and identifying any connections that could strengthen your case. If there are similar cases with favorable outcomes, we can use those as valuable precedents to support your claim.

We’ll represent you throughout the process, whether in settlement negotiations or in court. Our team is fully prepared to advocate for you to achieve the best possible compensation for your case

The Time Limits for Filing a Claim in Maryland

As of 2023, the statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims in Maryland varies based on the age of the victim at the time of the assault. For adults who have experienced sexual assault, the law allows three years from the date of the last assault to file a civil case.

However, for child sex abuse survivors, recent legislation has removed the statute of limitations entirely. This change is retroactive, meaning that Maryland child victims who were abused before 2023 can now file child sex abuse claims at any time.

Because the statute of limitations for adults depends on the last date of the abuse, it’s crucial to keep detailed records of when the abuse occurred. If you’re a sexual assault survivor, documenting the specifics of the abuse and the timeline will help ensure you can file your claim within the allowed timeframe.

Contact a Maryland Sexual Abuse Attorney Today!

Call us at 866-757-6452 or fill out the contact form online.

Related Practice Areas

• Baltimore Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Columbia Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Germantown Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Silver Spring Sexual Abuse Lawyer
• Waldorf Sexual Abuse Lawyer