Protecting Legal Rights with a Coach Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Participation in athletic and recreational activities can be an important element in young person’s life. Engaging in organized sports can keep a young person healthy, help a youth make and develop friendships, enhance skill sets, and increase confidence. Moreover, participating in athletics, recreation, and sports can be truly enjoyable for a young person.
Unfortunately, not all young people have beneficial and enjoyable experiences when it comes to organized sports, athletics and recreational activities. Sadly, there are adults in the world who sexually prey on innocent young people, who gratify themselves by violating the innocence of young people. In some cases, this abuse is perpetrated by coaches.
Preliminary Issues in a Child Sexual Abuse Case
Even thinking about, let alone stating aloud, the phrase child sexual abuse is horrifying. Nonetheless, there are some immediate steps that you need to take when you learn that your child has been sexually victimized by a once-trusted coach.
The first step is notifying law enforcement officials. Not only must law enforcement be notified because of your child’s victimization, but to protect other children as well. Research supports the proposition that if a child sexual abuser is nearly always a serial perpetrator.
The next step is to notify the school or the organization with which the coach is associated. Once again, this occurs not only in response to protect the interests of your child, but also to protect other children as well.
Finally, you need to be proactive in obtaining legal representation in a case of child sexual abuse associated with victimization by a coach. The legal team at The Doan Law Firm, at (800) 349-0000, maintains coach sexual abuse attorneys on its legal team.
Compensation in a Child Sexual Abuse Case
Compensation obtained in a settlement, of awarded in a judgment, in a coach sexual abuse case depends on the facts and circumstances of a case. A number of factors come into play, including the age of the child, the type of sexual abuse, and the duration of that abuse.
With that noted, there are some types of losses and damages that commonly are compensated in a child sexual abuse case. These include:
psychological trauma
physical injury
medical bills, including counseling expenses
permanent injury
Compensation in a child sexual abuse case is not confined just to losses and injuries up to the present time. A victim of child sexual abuse is also entitled to seek compensation for future losses reasonably expected to be incurred in the future. For example, psychological trauma associated with being sexually victimized as a child can continue well into the future. Indeed, a victim may have these issues for the remainder of his or her life.
Punitive damages are also a possibility in a child sexual abuse lawsuit. Punitive damages are awarded in these cases when the conduct of a defendant in a lawsuit is considered particularly reckless. For example, if a school district knew, or reasonably should have known a coach was sexually molesting a student, punitive damages may be awarded as additional compensation to a victim. A child sexual abuse attorney from The Doan Law Firm can provide details about punitive damages.
Pursuing a Sexual Abuse Case as an Adult
The way child sexual abuse lawsuit laws work in each state, legal action does not need to be initiated while the victim is still a child. The law permits the statute of limitations associated with this type of lawsuit to be tolled until the victim reaches the age of 18.
The statute of limitations is a law in each state that sets a specific deadline by which a child sexual abuse lawsuit must be filed. In simple terms, with a child sexual abuse victim, the statute of limitations can be deemed to commence on the victim’s 18th birthday. For example, if the statute of limitations permits filing a child sexual abuse case within five years after the incident, that time to file a lawsuit can be considered to expire five years after the victim’s 18th birthday.
Hire a Compassionate Coach Sexual Abuse Lawyer
If you are an adult who was sexually victimized by a coach as a child, of if you have a child who was harmed in this manner, hire an experienced coach sexual abuse lawyer to protect legal rights and interests. A coach sexual abuse lawyer from The Doan Law Firm is available for an initial consultation.
An appointment can be made with a sexual abuse injury attorney by calling (800) 349-0000. The telephone line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Calls are taken on holidays as well.
During an initial consultation, an attorney will provide you with a preliminary evaluation of your case. The lawyer will answer any questions that you may have about the insurance claims settlement and litigation processes.