Fresno Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Sexual Abuse Lawyer Fresno CA | Injury Lawyer Team

Sexual abuse and other sex crimes are known to leave lasting impacts on the survivors. Whether the abuse happened in childhood or adulthood, the effects extend beyond physical. A Fresno sexual abuse lawyer can help you seek justice through a child sexual abuse case.

Our legal team understands how sexual abuse impacts a victim physically and emotionally. That’s why we provide compassionate legal representation to those in Fresno ready to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team for Your Fresno Sex Crimes Lawyer

When dealing with the aftermath of an adult or child sex crime, having an attorney and legal team on your side that understands the sensitive nature of the case and has a deep understanding of the law is key. Our team at Injury Lawyer Team takes a comprehensive approach to defending those who’ve experienced sexual abuse.

We combine legal expertise with guidance and resources to help survivors as they begin to heal. We thoroughly investigate your claim to build a solid case with evidence of sexual misconduct.

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What is Sexual Abuse?

What makes sexual abuse cases challenging is that many things fall under this category, and there may be aggravating circumstances. Some people don’t even realize that what happened to them qualifies as sexual abuse or assault. Sexual abuse is any non-consensual sexual misconduct.

It can be anything from unwanted sexual touching or behavior to rape. Consent must be freely and continuously given. Even if someone consents under duress or while under the influence, that’s not true consent.

Power imbalances tend to play a huge role in sex crimes. A person in a position of power, such as an adult at a religious or other institution, will often try to coerce someone into sexual acts.

What Types of Abuse Are Most Common in Child Sexual Abuse Cases?

Sexual abuse comes in many different forms. The most common forms are:

Child Sexual Abuse: Sex or any sexual activity with a minor, even if they say they’re okay with it. Their age makes them incapable of true consent.
Rape: Non-consensual sex of any kind, regardless of the degree of force.
Sexual Assault: Sexual touching or fondling that lacks consent.
Sexual Harassment: Unwanted sexual advances, whether they’re physical or verbal.
Incest: Sexual acts between blood-related family members.
The process of watching someone have sex, people in the nude, or disrobing without their knowledge or consent.
Digital Sexual Abuse: Non-consensual sharing of intimate photos or videos.
Drug-Facilitated Sex Crimes: Using drugs or alcohol to incapacitate someone before sexually assaulting them.
Sexual Exploitation: Coercing or manipulating someone into a sexual act.

What Institutions in Fresno are Likely to Have Sexual Abuse Problems?

Sex crimes can happen anywhere. We handle cases where sexual crimes occurred in:

Daycare Facilities: We’ll represent anyone who’s been sexually abused at a daycare facility. We can help parents explore legal options.
Educational Institutions: Schools with people of any age have many cases of sex crime charges. There may be aggravating factors, such as a teacher with prior convictions.
Foster Care: Many underage individuals are sexually exploited in the foster care system, and we’re prepared to protect their rights. Our law office can help victims pursue justice.
Hotels and Short-Term Rentals: These transient environments lead to an increase in sexual abuse victims. Our legal counsel can help you take legal action.
Inpatient Treatment Facilities: Patients in rehab centers, mental health facilities, and hospitals can be hurt by trusted staff. Experienced law firms can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you suffered harm.
Military Institutions: Our law firm has the experience to defend survivors who have been sexually abused within the military. We can help you obtain justice against the responsible parties.
Nursing Homes: Short- and long-term care facilities where harm can occur by those entrusted with the care of elderly individuals. We’ll listen to your story during a confidential consultation.
Prisons and Correctional Facilities: These crimes can happen within the criminal justice system, including prisons, juvenile detention centers, and correctional facilities.
Religious Institutions: Clergy crimes are often swept under the rug, but we have the drive and experience to fight clergy cases. Religious organizations frequently want to settle outside of court to keep the sex crimes quiet.
Shelters: We’ve provided legal representation to vulnerable people who should’ve been safe in a shelter.
Sports Clubs: Many athletes are subjected to sex crimes by other athletes, coaches, and team doctors.
Workplace: We help clients who have been sexually harassed or assaulted by a co-worker or employer.

Let’s discuss the specifics of your case

What Should You Do if You’re a Victim of Sex Crimes or Human Trafficking?

If you’ve experienced this, it can feel daunting to try to figure out what to do afterward. Coming forward can be terrifying. That’s why we’ve provided some steps to take if you’ve been sexually assaulted:

Get yourself to a safe place
Go to the hospital for medical care
Report the abuse to local California law enforcement to begin an investigation
Document everything surrounding the incident(s). For repressed memories, document everything after the abuse discovery, even if it’s years later.
Preserve any evidence you have
Seek support from those you trust and local support groups like the Rape Crisis Service (RCS).
Contact a sexual abuse attorney for legal guidance and counsel

What Damages Can You Recover Through the Legal Process?

When you seek compensation for what you’ve endured, you can get a settlement for things such as:

Medical expenses
Therapy expenses
Loss of enjoyment in life
Lost wages

The amount that you’ll receive in a settlement depends on:

The duration of abuse
The nature and severity of the abuse
The degree of negligence from an institution

Who Can Be Held Responsible for Abuse?

Liability in sexual abuse cases involves holding both individual perpetrators and institutions responsible for the harm caused. The perpetrator isn’t the only one who can be held liable in sexual abuse cases. The institution where the abuse occurred can also be held accountable due to the following:

Negligent hiring
Failure to train
Failure to investigate or report sexual violence
Inadequate supervision

If an institution is potentially liable for sex crimes, we can use the following legal principles to help strengthen a case:

Duty of Care: Institutions must work hard to protect individuals from harm.
Title IX: Schools are required to address sex crimes; failure to do so makes them liable.
Negligence: Liability arises from inadequate prevention, like poor supervision or a lack of background checks.
Vicarious Liability: Institutions are legally accountable for their employees’ actions.

Power dynamics, especially in religious communities, can also create conditions where abuse is more likely to occur, making those institutions responsible.

How Do You Prove an Institutionalized Sexual Abuse Case During a Civil Lawsuit?

When you choose us, we’ll work tirelessly on your behalf to prove sexual assault and provide the best possible outcome for you by:

Gathering evidence
Establishing a timeline of the abuse
Demonstrating negligence or intentional misconduct
Providing a link between the abuse and the harm suffered
Gathering expert testimony
Investigating any institutions
Representing you in court, if necessary

How Can a Fresno Sex Crimes Lawyer Help?

We can help by:

Providing a safe place for you to share your story
Giving transparent feedback about your case
Investigating your claim to build a strong case
Working with experts and handling the opposing counsel
Negotiating a settlement

What’s the Statute of Limitations According to California Law?

In Fresno, the statute of limitations for filing a sexual abuse claim is ten years from the date of the abuse. For cases of child sexual abuse, survivors have until they turn 40 years old to file a claim. This legislation applies to sex crimes that happened before 2024.

However, sex crimes that happened after 2024 have several new California laws that ensure victims of sex crimes can seek justice. The governor signed California law AB250 into law, letting survivors file sexual assault claims that were previously barred due to the old statute of limitations.

The lookback window lets victims file claims in 2026-2027 for sex crime allegations that happened prior to 2024. It’s essential to work with a Fresno sex crimes attorney to file claims before time runs out for older claims.

Another law, AB2777 creates another lookback window until 2027 that lets survivors pursue legal action against institutions that are also liable. Cover-ups are common when it comes to institutionalized sexual abuse, such as sexual contact between a priest and a child.

Institutions can also be held liable if they knew about abuse but did nothing. Negligent hiring practices can result in abuse. For example, hiring someone who is on the sex offender registry or has had lengthy prison sentences for crimes against children. These institutions can be held liable by attorneys in Fresno sexual abuse claims.

AB452 eliminates the statute for children to file sexual assault claims, provided sex crime cases happened after 2024. However, it’s important to note that the law specifies sexual assault.

Many sex offenses, especially those involving a minor, require offenders to register on the sex offender registry. This is also up to the judge, so cases that aren’t sex crime cases can also lead to you having to register, such as public urination.

A California attorney can help you or a loved one learn more about how the law impacts your case.

What’s the Average Sexual Abuse Settlement in Fresno, CA?

The average settlement for victims in Fresno is $1.6 million. However, there are many cases with significantly larger or smaller verdicts. Several factors will affect your settlement amount.

Whether an institution was negligent can play a key role in the amount. For example, if they hired a sex offender knowing they were on the sex offender registration list. However, they can also be held liable if they didn’t know someone was a sex offender or had previous sex crime charges because they didn’t do a background check.

The nature of the sex crime is another key factor. There are different types of sex crime charges, such as molestation, sexual battery, misdemeanors, and felonies. There are usually harsher penalties for more severe crimes.

Many victims want to avoid trial, but doing so can affect their settlement. A trial can lead to a larger verdict, but you also risk losing. A settlement means you get financial compensation, but it may be smaller. It’s important to discuss this decision with legal counsel.

The type and extent of injuries can help determine the amount of your settlement. Often, victims sue for emotional distress, medical bills, lost wages, or future earnings, such as lost employment opportunities. We’ll work hard to fully understand the impact this has had on your life and finances.

Book a free case evaluation

Case Examples in Fresno County

Plaintiffs were awarded a $5.4 million settlement in a case against the Orange Center Elementary School District. Multiple minors were sexually assaulted by the principal. Their age made them vulnerable individuals, and the principal knew it. Numerous teachers and staff had evidence of the crimes but failed to report them to the appropriate authorities, despite knowing the potential consequences. The school district was negligent in its supervision of staff and students.

The case does not mention a defense of the perpetrator saying he was falsely accused, nor does it mention criminal charges. This means that he may not be required to register in the online database.

Janet Orlando was awarded a $1.7 million verdict against Alarm One and three individual defendants. The lawsuit alleged that the teams were required to participate in team-building exercises and that the losing team was spanked in front of everyone else. People were also disciplined for talking during meetings or arriving late. Orlando claimed this was sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment.

A plaintiff sued Healthcomp, Inc. for sexual harassment and wrongful termination. There was also retaliation. The plaintiff reported that she cooperated with an investigation regarding the CEO and sexual harassment, and recommended that the CEO be terminated. However, instead, she wound up with reduced hours, the CEO stated that only women who want to be harassed are harassed, and tried to cut her pay. Then, she was fired. Although the defense claimed the information she provided was false, she was awarded more than $100,000.

Schedule an Initial Consultation with a Fresno Sex Crimes Attorney to learn Your Legal Options

When you’re ready to bring your abuser(s) to justice, our law firm is prepared to provide you with the expert legal support and guidance you deserve. While the impacts of sexual abuse are long-lasting, seeking compensation is a step in the right direction.

Call or fill out the form to hear more about how we can help you with your sexual abuse case in Fresno, California.

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All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.