Sexual Abuse Legal News & Updates

This post was written before the passage of AB-218. For information regarding the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit for childhood sexual assault/abuse, click here or contact our team of experienced representatives.   One in 16 U.S. women (3.3 million) report “rape” as their first sexual encounter. Not always do these cases involve attacks from strangers. Rather, these incidents sometimes involve someone known by the victim—someone who can pressure them into having sex.  By law, rape is defined as an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a person

Sexual harassment and sexual bullying are very similar but may differ for legal reasons. While laws may refer to actions as “sexual harassment,” many school documents call it “bullying.” During the 2016-2017 school year, there were more than 10,000 sexual harassment offenses, as defined by California education code that resulted in suspension, expulsion or disciplinary diversion within school districts across the state. While most behaviors can be considered both sexual bullying and sexual harassment—it can be confusing—leading teens to wonder “what is sexual bullying?”  In this article, we will discuss

When someone seeks medical attention after being sexually assaulted, it is recommended that they undergo a sexual assault forensic exam to preserve any DNA evidence that can be useful in reporting the incident. Rape victims aren’t required to report the incident to have an exam, but the process gives them the chance to safely store evidence in a collection kit, also known as a rape kit, should they decide to report at a later time.  A processed rape kit could be a powerful tool in bringing a perpetrator of rape

A 2015 case study estimated that 10% of K-12 students will experience sexual misconduct by a school employee by the time they graduate from high school. Of those students who experience sexual misconduct, many of them will decide not to come forward about the incidents for various reasons. When victims of sexual abuse or assault suffer in silence, it makes it easier for the abuser to continue inappropriate behavior.  School officials have a legal duty of care to protect each student but unfortunately, some districts have been accused of “passing

In 2014, California became the first state to enact a “Yes Means Yes” law on college campuses to improve how universities handle rape and sexual assault accusations and to clarify the standards, requiring an "affirmative consent" and stating that consent can't be given if someone is asleep or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol. This law of good intentions has achieved a lot in the minds of sexual assault survivors, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics found the rates of sexual violence “experienced no significant change” from 2006 to 2015. As

This post was written before the passage of AB-218. For information regarding the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit for childhood sexual assault/abuse, click here or contact our team of experienced representatives.   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines sexual violence as “sexual activity when consent is not obtained or not freely given.” Survivors of sexual violence typically experience adverse effects that may lead to a host of reactions. Here, we discuss four common stages of reaction to sexual violence and how survivors can obtain guidance