Baltimore Attorney for Victims of Sexual Abuse

Filing a lawsuit against an individual abuser or establishment can give you the opportunity to hold them accountable and liable for your damages.

While it can help sexual abuse claims to have reports of abuse, this is not always possible, especially in cases involving childhood sexual abuse. If victims have already reported abuse, we can help them get copies of those reports and review what was done to address the situation. For example, if a victim was abused at a school and reported it, did the school dismiss the staff member, or did they fail to protect the victim? In addition to using reports, our lawyers may interview eyewitnesses or anyone you confided in about the abuse. We may also enlist mental health experts to explain the psychological effect such violence has on victims’ lives so that you ultimately get suitable non-economic damages in Baltimore.

To get a free case review from our attorneys for victims of sexual abuse, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today at (410) 694-7291.

Reporting Sexual Abuse Before Filing a Lawsuit in Baltimore

Victims may feel more comfortable approaching our lawyers with their cases first so that they then have support when reporting sexual abuse to institutions or even to law enforcement. We can help victims identify when abuse actually began, as well as the initial warning signs the abuser might have exhibited.

Reporting abuse to an administration is important for those victimized in an institutional setting, like at school, church, or similar environment. If the victim reported the abuse and the reports were unaddressed, our lawyers could use that to show that the institution let the abuse continue, making it liable.

If you were abused as a child and did not report it to law enforcement or anyone else, for that matter, that does not mean you cannot sue. While prior reports of sexual abuse can be useful evidence in civil cases, victims without these reports may still hold at-fault parties accountable in court in Baltimore.

The Role of Witnesses in Baltimore Sexual Abuse Cases

Witnesses and the statements they give can help victims in their sexual abuse lawsuits in Baltimore, which is why our lawyers will quickly speak to anyone who may have known about the abuse, as well as experts on sexual abuse and its effect on victims.

Eyewitnesses

If a victim confided in anyone about the abuse, our lawyers would interview them to collect their statements. While doing this, we might talk to victims’ friends, family, old classmates, teachers, or anyone who might have noticed a change in behavior or signs of abuse. These types of witness statements are especially useful in sexual abuse claims involving those victimized years ago as children, as there might not be much physical evidence to prove liability.

Expert Witnesses

Expert witnesses, like mental health experts, can explain likely trauma responses of victims of sexual abuse as well as other difficulties they may face, which can help with the recovery of non-economic damages. While sexual abuse often causes physical injuries, the emotional impact is often far longer lasting and might harm future relationships, professional opportunities, or victims’ abilities to engage in daily tasks. Both adult and child victims of sexual abuse or assault might develop anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health disorders brought on by sexual violence. Experts can explain this psychological impact and how it is likely to persist, which might convince the jury to award victims greater compensation for their pain and suffering due to sexual abuse in Baltimore.

Damages in Baltimore Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Without showing proof of damages in your sexual abuse lawsuit, you cannot recover them in Baltimore. On top of showing your losses, our lawyers can prove gross negligence if punitive damages are available in your case.

Documenting Compensable Losses

Depending on how long it has been since the abuse took place, our lawyers can help victims trace compensable expenses back to the abuse. We can identify various losses you might be able to get compensation for, such as therapy or other mental health treatments you have received to cope. Any medical treatments necessary to address physical injuries from abuse are also compensable. Finding records of these expenses might be difficult, and our attorneys for victims of sexual abuse can help victims obtain past records from hospitals and providers to prove their damages.

By carefully identifying all compensable losses before filing your lawsuit, our lawyers may have enough proof of damages and liability to leverage against the defendant or defendants in your case, convincing them to settle without needing a trial. Victims who wish to go to court to hold at-fault parties responsible might choose to testify at a trial so that they can explain to the jury how, in their own words, the sexual abuse has affected them and their quality of life.

Getting Punitive Damages

Punitive damages might be available in claims against at-fault institutions, like schools or churches, that exhibited gross negligence in letting the abuse start or continue. Courts use punitive damages to punish malicious or reckless conduct, which is why juries might award these damages to victims of sexual abuse in Baltimore.

Limits on Damages

Recently, in 2023, Maryland passed the Child Victims Act (CVA), which eliminated the statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits involving minor victims whose filing deadlines had since passed and changed the caps on non-economic damages available in these claims, increasing it to $1.5 million according to Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-117(c).

Our lawyers can explain how limits on damages could apply to your case and keep you updated with any applicable changes, which might come as cases challenging this new set of laws come up and go through the courts.

The non-economic damage cap for survivors of adult sexual abuse remains unchanged by the CVA and is currently set at $935,00, according to § 11-108(b)(2).