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Confidential, Compassionate, and Experienced Legal Support
The journey toward healing after sexual abuse is incredibly personal, and every survivor’s path looks different. The ultimate goal is to feel as whole again as possible—no longer defined by the abuse, no longer feeling like a victim, but empowered, with the knowledge that justice is on your side. While the emotional scars of sexual abuse may never fully disappear, it’s important to know that a joy-filled life is still within reach.
One of the most important steps in recovery is seeking legal justice and financial compensation for the harm done. That’s why it’s crucial to find not just any attorney, but one who will treat you with the compassion and empathy you deserve, without sacrificing the results you need.
A sexual abuse attorney helps you seek justice by pursuing legal action against the person or institution responsible for the abuse. This typically involves filing a civil lawsuit to secure financial compensation for physical, emotional, and psychological damages. The attorney also provides legal guidance throughout the process. They will represent your interests and ensure that their rights are protected.
Most importantly, a trauma-informed attorney understands the sensitive nature of these cases. They know how to listen, how to build trust, and how to fight for you without forcing you to relive the trauma.
If you’re ready to take the first step toward seeking justice, SurvivorsRights.com can connect you with trusted partner attorneys who specialize in sexual abuse cases. Our intake department is here to guide you through the process with care and sensitivity, ensuring you receive the support you need every step of the way.
Secondary Sources and Documentation
An attorney can rely on medical records, police reports, therapy notes, or other documentation that can provide important details about the case without requiring you to retell the traumatic event. These sources can give context and facts that can help build the case.
Witness Testimonies
In some cases, the attorney might rely on statements from witnesses who were present during the event or its aftermath, as well as any other relevant evidence like video footage or electronic communication.
Victim Impact Statements
Instead of re-living the trauma in full detail, you may have the option of providing a statement that outlines the emotional and physical impact the abuse has had on you, without detailing every aspect of the event itself. This allows you to share your experience without having to revisit traumatic moments.
Gradual Disclosure
If it’s necessary for you to recount what happened, a trauma-informed attorney will work with you in a controlled environment, perhaps in a therapeutic setting, allowing you to share details at your own pace and comfort level. Sometimes, this may involve working with a counselor or support person.
In essence, the attorney doesn’t force you to relive the trauma in the traditional sense but works within a framework that supports mental and emotional health while still gathering the necessary facts for the case.
Choosing the right attorney is one of the most important decisions you will make on your path to justice. To ensure you’re working with an empathetic and experienced attorney, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Here are some key questions to ask during your consultation, along with the answers that will help you feel confident in your choice:
By asking these questions, you can be confident that you’re choosing a compassionate, experienced attorney who will prioritize your needs and advocate for you with the utmost respect and care.
At SurvivorsRights.com, we partner with attorneys who meet these standards, ensuring you receive the support you need during this challenging time.
You deserve legal support that’s local, private, and experienced.
We work with attorneys across California who are deeply familiar with both state laws and the emotional complexity of these cases. Whether you’re in a major city or a rural county, we can help you find someone who understands what you’ve been through — and how to hold the right people accountable.
Every inquiry is confidential. We’ll never share your information without your permission.
Sexual abuse can occur in many different settings, and our network of California attorneys has helped survivors across a wide range of circumstances
Sexual abuse can happen at any stage of life, and it’s crucial to understand your legal options, whether you’re a parent seeking justice for your child’s experience or an adult looking to hold accountable those responsible for abuse that occurred years ago.
If you’re a parent, you may already know that your child has suffered deeply, and it’s important to understand that legal action can be taken against individuals or institutions that allowed the abuse to happen. If you’re an adult survivor, know that you still have the right to pursue justice, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.
To provide perspective on the potential outcomes of such cases, an example of a successful legal claim that resulted in significant compensation for the survivors is a December 2024 $17.5 million settlement between Marin County School District and four individuals who were sexually abused by their former high school tennis coach. [1]
When abuse occurs by religious leaders, it’s particularly devastating because of the trust and authority they hold. You have the right to pursue justice—not just against the individual responsible, but also against the institutions that protected them and allowed the abuse to continue.
One of the largest settlements involves The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which in October 2024, agreed to settle 1,353 child sexual abuse claims spanning over several decades for $880 million, bringing the institution’s total payout with other victims to over $1.5 billion over 20 years. [2]
Several other religious denominations have come under the recent spotlight for sexual abuse allegations. In May 2025, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reached a tentative undisclosed settlement in over 100 sexual abuse lawsuits filed in California. [3]
Your healthcare should always be a place of trust and healing. When a doctor betrays that trust—whether during an exam or while you’re under sedation—you have the right to take legal action and seek both justice and compensation for the harm you’ve suffered.
One egregious case involves prominent Los Angeles hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which is facing mounting legal challenges as 167 women have come forward with allegations against former OB-GYN Dr. Barry J. Brock. The lawsuits accuse Brock of decades-long sexual misconduct and exploitation, claiming the hospital failed to act on numerous warning signs, enabling a pattern of abuse to continue unchecked. [4]
By courageously coming forward, these survivors have not only sought justice for themselves but have also paved the way for others to break their silence and hold those responsible accountable.
As a family member, you know that elderly loved ones in care facilities are especially vulnerable. Abuse can occur at the hands of staff or even other residents. Look out for signs like unexplained bruising, fearfulness, or withdrawal, which may indicate something is wrong. If you suspect abuse, you have the right to take legal action on behalf of your loved one and seek justice for the harm they’ve suffered.
Approximately 83% of victims of elder sexual abuse live in institutional care settings, such as nursing homes. In roughly 80% of cases, the perpetrator of elder sexual abuse is a caregiver responsible for the elder’s care.
If you suspect any form of abuse in a nursing home, seeking help is essential. Contact our intake team who may submit your confidential information for a case review. This is the first step in understanding your options and ensuring your loved one’s rights are protected and justice is served.
Sexual abuse within the school setting can occur in classrooms, locker rooms, on school trips, or during extracurricular activities, committed by teachers, coaches, or fellow students. Schools and educational institutions have a legal obligation to ensure a safe environment for students and to take reasonable steps to protect them from harm.
If your child is a victim of sexual abuse in an educational setting, you have the right to hold those responsible accountable. In addition to the perpetrator, schools may also be held liable under the legal doctrine of vicarious liability if they failed to take appropriate action to prevent the abuse. This could include neglecting to properly investigate allegations, failing to implement adequate safeguards, or inadequately supervising staff and students.
Pursuing legal action in cases of school sexual abuse is crucial—not only to seek justice for your child but also to send a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated. Schools are required by law to take appropriate measures to protect their students, and when they fail to do so, they may be held financially accountable for the damages caused.
If you suspect or know that your child has been a victim of sexual abuse at school, seeking the counsel of an experienced attorney is essential. A legal professional can help you navigate the complexities of your case, assess the viability of holding the responsible parties accountable, and ensure that your child’s rights are fully protected throughout the process.
In one case, the Lucia Mar Unified School District on the Central Coast agreed in 2022 to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit alleging negligence after a district bus driver repeatedly molested a nine-year-old girl. [5]
Foster children are removed from their biological parents because those parents are deemed unfit or unwilling to provide the necessary care and protection. Sadly, the very individuals and agencies entrusted with their safety—such as foster parents, social workers, and county employees—may turn out to be monsters, sexually abusing foster kids.
Abuse in foster care can occur at the hands of foster parents, other children in the home, or even social workers who fail to intervene when they are legally required to protect the child. Whether you are a parent seeking justice for your child or an adult survivor of past abuse, you have the right to pursue legal action and hold the responsible parties accountable for the harm caused.
Even if you were abused in a foster care home or group home decades ago, California Assembly Bill (AB) 452 — signed into law in October 2023 — eliminates the civil statute of limitations for damages suffered from childhood sexual abuse.
This is why more than 100 former residents of the Polinsky Children’s Center in San Diego, have come forward with legal claims alleging sexual abuse. In some instances, the allegations date back from the early 1990s. [6]
Even while incarcerated, individuals retain their rights, including the right to be free from abuse. Abuse by guards or other inmates—especially when ignored or inadequately addressed by prison officials—can be grounds for legal action. If you or a loved one has suffered abuse while incarcerated, you have the right to pursue justice and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
One of the most significant legal actions in this realm is the $115 million settlement between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and more than 100 incarcerated survivors of sexual abuse at the now-shuttered women-only Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Dublin in the East Bay, a prison so notorious, it earned the dubious nickname, “The Rape Club.” [7]
When your child is placed in daycare, you trust the facility to provide a safe environment. Unfortunately, abuse can still occur, whether it’s at the hands of daycare workers, other children, or even individuals who have access to the facility. Daycare centers have a legal obligation to properly vet staff, supervise children, and take immediate action if abuse is suspected. If your child has suffered abuse in a daycare setting, the facility and its staff may be held accountable for their failure to protect your child.
Legal action can help you secure justice, ensure the facility is held responsible, and provide compensation for the harm done to your child. You have the right to demand that the daycare facility take accountability for the abuse that occurred under their care.
For many years, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) held a position of trust, but some of its leaders betrayed that trust through acts of sexual abuse. Survivors of abuse within the Boy Scouts can seek justice and compensation for the harm they endured. In recent years, the BSA has faced numerous lawsuits and allegations of sexual abuse spanning several decades. In 2021, the Boy Scouts reached a historic $2.46 billion settlement, one of the largest in U.S. history, to resolve thousands of claims brought by survivors of sexual abuse. This settlement acknowledges the scope of the abuse and offers compensation for the victims.
If you or a loved one has been affected by abuse within the Boy Scouts, you have the right to pursue legal action. Holding the BSA accountable can not only help you seek justice but also provide the opportunity for financial compensation and ensure that these incidents are not overlooked.
Coaches are entrusted with not only developing athletes’ skills but also fostering their personal growth and safety. When that trust is exploited for abusive purposes, it can have a lasting impact on the survivor’s life and future. The power imbalance in sports settings makes it all the more important to ensure those responsible for this abuse face consequences. Survivors of coach abuse deserve legal recourse to seek justice and receive compensation, while also preventing further harm to others in the same environment.
In October 2022, 14 plaintiffs settled sexual abuse lawsuits with Los Angeles Unified School District for $52 million. The perpetrator, former wrestling coach, Terry Gillard was sentenced to 71 years in state prison. [8]
If you’re considering legal action, you may be wondering, “Is it worth it?” Many survivors ask the same question.
You may be eligible for significant financial compensation.
You’re not alone — and the law is on your side.
The attorneys we work with are trauma-informed, meaning they respect your pace and comfort level.
Your first consultation is always free and confidential.
Even if you’re unsure whether what happened “counts” as abuse, speaking with a legal professional can help clarify your rights.
Every case is different, but here’s a general idea of what to expect:
Throughout the process, your voice matters — and you’re in control.
Legal help is just one part of the healing process. Here are some California-based support resources that may help:
Survivors of sexual abuse may be entitled to both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages in a civil action. Pecuniary damages, also known as economic damages, are awarded to compensate for verifiable financial losses directly caused by the abuse. This includes out-of-pocket expenses such as medical bills, mental health treatment, lost wages, and other direct economic harm.
On the other hand, non-pecuniary damages, often referred to as general damages, compensate for the intangible, yet deeply consequential, harm suffered by the victim. These damages are awarded for emotional distress, psychological trauma, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and diminished quality of life. While these harms are inherently subjective, they are critical in addressing the profound emotional and psychological toll of sexual abuse.
In some instances, punitive damages may be awarded. These are not compensatory but are meant to punish the perpetrator and deter similar misconduct. Punitive damages are generally reserved for cases involving egregious, malicious, or recklessly indifferent behavior, where the defendant’s conduct rises to the level of extreme misconduct.
The precise amount of compensation in a sexual abuse case will depend on the extent of harm suffered, the strength of the evidence presented, and the legal strategy employed. Victims who pursue civil lawsuits may be entitled to a combination of these damages to aid in their recovery and hold the responsible parties fully accountable.
At SurvivorsRights.com, we understand the profound impact sexual abuse has on your life, and we are committed to standing by you every step of the way. The attorneys in our network are not just legal professionals—they are compassionate advocates who will treat you with the respect, dignity, and empathy you deserve. We know that this is not just a case to you; it is your story, your journey, and your fight for justice. Our experienced attorneys will ensure that you are fully supported throughout the legal process, providing the expert representation you need to achieve the compensation and accountability that will help you move forward.
References:
Knowledge Sparks Reform for Survivors. Share This Story With Your Network.