Colorado Sexual Abuse Lawyer Representing Victims

Sexual abuse may involve numerous unwanted or forced sexual acts, and perpetrators often face serious criminal charges. However, not all cases are reported to the police for a variety of reasons, but victims can still get justice. An attorney can help you file a civil case against the people you believe are responsible for the abuse, and you may receive significant financial compensation.

While the person or people who committed the abuse may be held legally liable for your injuries and damages, other parties might be implicated, too. Employers, schools, and even churches have been held responsible for sexual abuse. You should talk to an attorney about your case soon, as the longer you wait to get started, the more likely it is that evidence may be lost. Evidence may consist of medical records regarding your injuries from the abuse, witness testimony, and your own testimony about the sexual abuse you experienced. In many cases, damages are quite high, as victims may live with emotional and psychological injuries for many years after the abuse.

Call The Law Office of Andrew Shubin at (814) 826-3586 and ask our sexual abuse lawyers representing victims for a free case review.

Who is Legally Responsible for Civil Sexual Abuse Cases in Colorado?

While most people might say that the abuser should be held responsible – and they would be correct – there might still be others who share blame for what happened. In addition to abusers, our sexual abuse attorneys representing victims might help you sue employers, organizations, or institutions behind the abusers that allowed the abuse to happen or otherwise negligently failed to intervene.

The Abuser

An abuser might be almost anyone, but certain types of people tend to come up more frequently than others. For example, many survivors of childhood sexual abuse report that a teacher or school administrator abused them. This might be a child’s teacher who sees them every day, a coach of a child’s school athletics team, or an administrator.

Religious leaders are also frequently named in sexual abuse cases. People tend to trust religious leaders, and parents might be very comfortable sending their kids to things like Sunday school or religious services for kids. Unfortunately, church leaders sometimes use their positions of trust and authority to take advantage of their victims. Even when churches are made aware of the abuse, they often cover it up in favor of handling it internally rather than reporting it to the police.

People are also sexually abused in their places of work by coworkers or supervisors. It is not unusual to hear about a victim who was sexually abused by a supervisor who controlled career advancement opportunities and pay raises.

The Abuser’s Employer

In many cases, abusers are able to harm their victims because of their position of power or authority, usually deriving from their employment. In many cases, plaintiffs can sue not only the people who sexually abused them but also the business or organization behind the abuser that negligently allowed the abuse to occur.

If a plaintiff was sexually abused while a child at school, they may be able to sue the school that employed the abuser. Whether the school was public or private may play a big role in how the case proceeds, as public schools are governmental entities that might enjoy certain legal protections.

Religious organizations may also be held responsible. For example, civil cases have been filed against Catholic Archdioceses in recent years for abuse committed by a church leader. In many cases, the abuser has passed away, but the case may still be brought against the church as a whole.

If you were sexually abused by a supervisor or coworker at your job, the business you worked for may be held responsible. If you reported the abuse to HR or your employer otherwise knew about the abuse and negligently failed to do anything about it, you might have a pretty strong case.

How Long You Have to File a Civil Sexual Abuse Claim in Colorado

The statute of limitations is a law that sets a strict time limit on potential civil cases. In the past, sexual abuse victims had to abide by short limitation periods. However, the law changed to allow victims the time they need to come forward.

Under the old law, victims of sexual abuse had only 6 years from the date the cause of action accrued to file a civil case. For minors, the cause of action would accrue on their 18th birthday, giving the util age 24 to file a case. For adults, the cause of action occurs right away unless some other legal disability is present.

Now, according to C.R.S. § 13-80-103.7(1), there is no limitation period for children and adults. A person who was the victim of sexual misconduct or abuse may file a civil case against a defendant at any time. This law applies to all cases arising from abuse that happened on or after January 1, 2022. Also, any cases that occurred before this date that were not yet time-barred also fall under this law. However, the law is not retroactive for cases that are already time-barred under the previous statute of limitations.

Evidence We Can Use to Support Your Colorado Sexual Abuse Civil Case

To support your case, we need strong evidence. Unfortunately, evidence can be very hard to obtain in some cases, especially if the abuse happened many years ago. Even so, evidence might still be available, and we can build a strong case on only a few pieces of strong evidence.

First, we should consider your medical records from around the time the abuse happened. Sexual abuse often becomes violent, and victims might have needed medical treatment. Even if you did not report the sexual abuse, your medical records might show that you suffered injuries consistent with sexual abuse.

Second, we must track down people who might have personal knowledge about the abuse or the conditions surrounding the abuse. Maybe you told someone about the abuse in confidence when it first happened. If that person is still around, they might remember hearing about the abuse. If you did report the abuse to someone, there might still be a record of the report. For example, if you reported sexual abuse to HR at your place of employment, there should be a record of it, even if nothing was done to stop the abuse.

Your testimony will likely be crucial. Often, nobody knows more about the abuse than the plaintiff. Unfortunately, this might mean reliving the abuse on the witness stand, which can be very emotionally fraught. Your attorney can help you prepare.

Contact Our Colorado Sexual Abuse Lawyers Representing Victims

Call The Law Office of Andrew Shubin at (814) 826-3586 and ask our sexual abuse lawyers representing victims for a free case review.