Sexual Abuse Legal News & Updates

When someone is sexually abused, they don’t always interpret what’s happened to be abuse. This misunderstanding is more common when children are the victims of sexual abuse, especially when the child was groomed by their abuser. There are many other reasons why a sexual abuse victim wouldn’t immediately make the connection. When these events aren’t addressed, they could result in signs of sexual abuse trauma manifesting into adulthood.  While some adults may never think about their early sexual experiences, others may suffer acute disturbances in their everyday lives arising from

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) not only affects soldiers who have gone to war, but also survivors of childhood sexual trauma. Increasingly, research is bridging gaps in the understanding about how the brain processes traumatic experiences in early childhood and erratically pieces them back together later in life. Scientists have explored the epigenetic changes that occur with child molestation that account for the development of PTSD in adulthood. What’s clear is that trauma has the power to literally shape one’s DNA. The good news is that therapeutic approaches can significantly improve

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is designed to protect students from harassment and sexual violence—including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual abuse, and sexual coercion—in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. The law states that: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Despite what the law says, incidents of school sexual assault still occur. This

There are many ways survivors of sexual abuse may choose to cope with what’s happened to them. Many choose to place the abuse behind them, move away, and start fresh. But what if they’ve moved away and want to seek justice for the sexual abuse they endured in the past? Do they file a lawsuit in the state where they currently live? Or, are they required to return to the state where the abuse occurred to seek civil remedy? Like most states, in California, sexual abuse lawsuits are governed by

No student should have to attend school each day with the fear of sexual assault overshadowing their educational experience. Federal and state law requires instructive institutions to maintain environments that are free from sexual discrimination, vigilant in identifying signs of abuse, and ready to respond in the event of sexual assault.  If you fear that your school is unsafe from incidents of sexual assault due to inadequate policies, negligent enforcement, complaint processes that go nowhere, and a pervasive culture of permissiveness, you may be able to file a lawsuit to

At some point in life, you might be asked to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement. This legal contract waives your right to a fair jury trial, compelling you to go through arbitration proceedings to resolve a dispute instead. Arbitration is typically forced in cases of sexual assault and harassment, particularly in the workplace.  Employees are less likely to win private arbitration cases and tend to receive far less compensation than they would in court when they win behind closed doors. Considering some 60 million Americans—including half of all non-unionized workers—have