Sexual Abuse Lawyer Vermont

Whether it’s adult or childhood, sexual abuse is one of the most traumatic things someone can go through. These experiences will leave the survivor forever changed, often dealing with physical injuries and psychological trauma that lasts for the rest of their lives.

Injury Lawyer Team is committed to helping survivors in Vermont get the justice and compensation they deserve. We have an experienced legal team who understand the intricacies of sexual abuse and assault cases and will help you file a civil lawsuit and ensure everyone is held accountable.

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

If you or a loved one have suffered sexual abuse or assault, you need a legal team on your side that won’t give up. Injury Lawyer Team is dedicated to obtaining the highest compensation possible for our clients. Our team combines compassion and experience to secure fair settlements based on the circumstances and ensure predators are held responsible.

We thoroughly investigate every claim so any settlement includes enough to cover medical bills, therapy expenses, lost wages, and the emotional damages associated with these experiences. We protect the rights of survivors every step of the way on the path to justice.

Understanding Sexual Abuse and Assault

Sexual abuse and assault cover a wide range of incidents. They can range from unwanted sexual comments to violent rape. Every act that falls under the category of sexual abuse or assault has the common factor of a lack of consent. In many cases, there might be an abuse of power over someone else.

Consent is essential to understand because it helps survivors understand that what happened to them was sexual abuse or assault. For any sexual behavior or act, consent must be ongoing because someone can change their mind, and then the act is no longer consensual.

Many people don’t realize until much later that even if they consented but were being manipulated or under duress, it’s still not legal consent.

Common Forms of Sexual Abuse

Many acts constitute sexual abuse or assault. At Injury Lawyer Team, we’ve seen various types of sexual abuse and assault. The more common are:

• Incest: This is sexual abuse between two family members. It’s often between an adult and a child.
• Child Sexual Abuse: This is any sexual activity or behavior between an adult and a minor. It can be touching, exposing them to sexual content, or penetration.
• Sexual Assault and Rape: This is penetrative sexual acts that lack consent. Sometimes, the acts are violent, but they don’t have to be violent to be non-consensual.
• Sexual Harassment: This is any unwanted sexual comment or touching. It can be a touch on the shoulder that’s sexual in nature or inappropriate jokes.
• Digital Sexual Abuse: Also known as revenge porn, this is when someone shares or uploads photos or videos of someone performing a sexual act or undressing without their consent or knowledge.
• Voyeurism: This is when someone watches a person or people perform sexual acts or undress without their knowledge or consent.
• Statutory Rape: Sexual intercourse between an adult and a minor. It can be any adult and minor relationship that doesn’t meet the state’s age of consent.

Institutions Where Sexual Abuse Is Most Likely to Occur

As experienced sexual abuse lawyers serving Vermont, Injury Lawyer Team have been able to secure settlements for sexual abuse survivors who’ve experienced this in different institutions.

Workplace

Sexual abuse in the workplace can be between anyone. More often than not, it’s between someone and their superior who abuses their power.

Inpatient Treatment Facilities

Patients in rehab or inpatient treatment facilities tend to be particularly vulnerable to sexual assault and abuse by other patients or staff members.

Prisons and Correctional Facilities

Inmates who are sexually abused or assaulted within the prison system are often left without a lot of ways to ask for help. Another inmate, guard, or other prison staff can commit these acts.

Foster Care

The foster care system is supposed to protect children, but they are often moved around to different locations. Their vulnerability and potentially transient nature make them vulnerable to sexual abuse and assault by foster families and others in the foster care system.

Daycare Facilities and Nursing Homes

Children and the elderly in daycare or nursing homes rely on the staff to help with their needs and keep them safe. Sometimes, staff will abuse their power and sexually abuse or assault children or the elderly.

Educational Institutions

Universities and schools are prime settings for sexual abusers, whether it’s staff, teachers, or other students.

Religious Institutions

Religious leaders and clergy members are often in positions where they can exploit members of their congregation.

Sports Clubs

Coaches, team doctors, and trainers might use their authority over athletes and manipulate them into doing things they don’t want to do.

Military Institutions

Sexual abuse and assault within the military often involve an abuse of power or rank, making it more intimidating for people to report the incident and seek justice.

Hotels and Short-Term Rentals

Short-term rentals and hotels have a transient population, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks by other guests or staff members.

Shelters

People staying in shelters are already vulnerable, and staff and other people staying in the shelter might take advantage of someone’s vulnerability.

Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Sexual Assault

If you’re a victim of sexual assault or abuse, there are steps you can take afterward to not only ensure your safety but be more prepared when you’re ready to file a civil lawsuit. The steps you can take include:

• Stay Safe: First, get away from the perpetrator if you can. If you can’t but have called 911, they can help you when they arrive.
• Seek Medical Care: Even if you can’t see any injuries or believe they’re minor, getting medical attention will ensure you’re okay. You can also get a rape kit to help preserve any DNA evidence from your attacker.
• Report the Assault: Contact the police department in your area to file an official police report about the abuse or assault.
• Document Everything: Make a note on your phone or write down everything you can about the incident. It’s helpful to include things leading up to, during, and after the act.
• Preserve Evidence: Do your best not to shower or wash any clothing or bedding that was involved in the incident. This will help with evidence and build a strong case.
• Seek Support: Lean on your loved ones for support during this time. Many survivors also find it beneficial to contact local resources specializing in helping survivors. Some in Vermont are the Center for Crime Victims Services and Vermont Network.
• Look Into Sexual Abuse Attorneys: If you want to file a civil sexual abuse lawsuit, you’ll want to work with experienced attorneys who are professional and compassionate.

Compensation Awarded to Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Money won’t solve everything, and it can’t take back what happened to you, but seeking financial compensation is a great way to make sure your abuser is held accountable and that you have the finances to rebuild your life. The attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team are prepared to file your civil case for you and seek the highest compensation possible.

Throughout our time working sexual abuse cases, we’ve been able to secure clients compensation for both monetary damages and non-economic damages, such as:

• Medical expenses
• Therapy costs
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Punitive damages

We’re committed to seeking the maximum settlement for you. Your settlement will be heavily dependent on factors such as:

• The duration and severity of the abuse;
• The strength of the evidence we present;
• The degree of negligence by any liable institution;
• The overall impact that the abuse has had on your life.

Liability in Civil Cases Involving Sex Abuse

As your trusted sexual abuse attorney, we’ll work tirelessly to hold every party liable. While this includes the perpetrator, it can sometimes include the institution that didn’t do anything to prevent the sexual abuse or assault from happening.

If you’re a sexual abuse survivor who believes an institution is liable for what happened to you, we can hold them accountable on principles such as:

• Failure to Report: In Vermont, certain institutions are mandated reporters, like schools and healthcare facilities. If the institution fails to report suspected or alleged sexual abuse or assault, it can be held liable.
• Negligent Hiring and Supervision: If an organization doesn’t conduct background checks on their employees or adequately supervise them, and then one of them sexually assaults or abuses someone, we can seek compensation from them.
• Negligent Response to Complaints: When an institution hears about sexual abuse claims on their premises but chooses not to investigate or take legal action, we’ll seek to hold them liable.
• Vicarious Liability: There are some situations in which we can hold an institution liable for the actions of its employees or agents, even if the institution wasn’t negligent.

There are a lot of things that can be institutional liability, but some prime examples of this are:

• A church can be held accountable if a clergy member or priest sexually abuses or assaults someone in their parish, but they transfer the member without investigating the claims.
• Hospitals and other medical facilities can be held liable if they don’t perform thorough background checks on employees who end up sexually assaulting or abusing patients.

How to Prove a Sexual Abuse Case

When it comes to civil adult or child sexual abuse lawsuits, being able to prove liability is key to getting justice and securing a settlement. We can help prove sexual abuse or assault by:

• Gathering Evidence: We’ll gather all the evidence we can to show sexual abuse or assault happened. This includes medical records, physical evidence, police reports, etc.
• Establishing a Timeline: We create a timeline that details everything leading up to the incident. This can help show a pattern of abuse within an institution or by an individual perpetrator.
• Securing Expert Testimony: We often seek out experts to provide testimony that corroborates the impact the sexual abuse or assault has had on the survivor’s life.
• Demonstrating Negligence: If our case involves proving institutional liability, we’ll investigate how we can show that the institution was negligent, indirectly causing the incident to happen.
• Showcasing Damages: We’ll document every way the sexual assault or abuse has impacted your life. From pain and suffering to economic impacts like medical bills and therapy costs to show the scope of the incident.
• Building a Strong Narrative: Overall, we’ll create a strong narrative that provides an overview of the scope of the sexual abuse or assault, demonstrating the compensation we’re seeking is more than fair.

Our legal team at Injury Lawyer Team is prepared to work hard for you and secure the best settlement possible while you focus on healing and moving forward.

How Our Vermont Sexual Abuse Lawyers Can Help

When you work with Injury Lawyer Team, you’ll have an experienced and compassionate legal team in your corner as we handle your civil lawsuit. We can help sex abuse survivors by:

• Free and Confidential Consultations: We offer all survivors a free and confidential consultation. It’s a safe place to share what happened to you and hear about your legal options.
• Thorough Investigations: We’ll investigate the sexual abuse claim thoroughly to make sure we have everything we need to build the strongest case possible.
• Legal Strategy Development: We tailor our legal strategies to each case, allowing us to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients.
• Handling Negotiations With all Liable Parties: You won’t have to worry about handling communications with opposing counsel or insurance companies. We’ll handle the negotiations so you can focus on healing.
• Representing You in Civil Court: If we can’t reach a settlement outside of court, we’ll fight to protect your rights and secure your settlement in the courtroom.
• Providing Access to Support Resources: We’ll do our best to provide you with local resources to help you on your healing journey.
• Continuous Support: Our legal team will always be there to answer any questions you might have and address any concerns. We’ll be with you every step of the way.

The Time Limits for Filing a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit in Vermont

Every state has a statute of limitations on sexual abuse and assault. Understanding the limitations is key, especially because survivors aren’t always ready to come forward yet or don’t realize what happened to them was sexual assault or abuse.

Under Vermont law, there is no statute of limitations for civil lawsuits regarding child sex abuse. For adult survivors, the statute of limitations is six years from the date of the incident.

Contact a Vermont Sexual Abuse Attorney Today!

We understand how much courage it takes to come forward and file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator and potentially any institution. We’ll be there to provide you with guidance every step of the way and will work relentlessly to get you the maximum compensation possible.

Contact us today at 866-757-6452 or fill out the online form.