If someone has committed any form of sexual assault or abuse against you, you can press criminal charges against them in Connecticut criminal court. These charges can result in a conviction and sentence for your abuser that may include fines, prison time, and the loss of various civil privileges. However, the criminal justice system is designed to punish people who violate the law, not to provide remedies to those who are hurt. Enforcing your right to file a civil suit against your abuser may be important to minimizing the impact their abuse will have on your life.
Every experienced personal injury attorney knows that no two claims are exactly alike, and this is especially true for claims built around injuries caused by sexual molestation or assault. A Connecticut sexual abuse lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC can help you seek out justice.
Filing suit over an injury that someone else caused through intentional and unlawful misconduct (such as sexual abuse) works very similarly to suing over an injury caused by unintentional negligence. In both scenarios, the success or failure of the claim will hinge on whether the “plaintiff” filing suit can prove through a “preponderance of the evidence” that the damages for which they are seeking compensation stemmed directly and primarily from the wrongful act(s) of the defendant(s) being sued. This is a less strict standard of proof than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard applicable to criminal cases.
It is sometimes possible to hold people legally liable for facilitating or negligently allowing sexual abuse to occur under their watch, even if they did not personally engage in any sexual misconduct themselves. Support from a Connecticut attorney can be especially important in effectively demanding restitution from organizations like schools, churches, and medical facilities that knowingly hired or continued to employ people engaging in sexual abuse on their property.
Both economic and non-economic losses can be incorporated into a sexual abuse lawsuit. This means that it is possible to demand compensation not only for damages with objective financial values like medical bills and lost working capacity, but also for various subjective damages like physical pain, mental anguish, and lost enjoyment/quality of life.
It is also possible to recover for long-term damages that occurred or are expected to occur years or even decades after an initial act of sexual assault. Connecticut state law allows people who were sexually abused under the age of 21 more time to file suit compared to people injured as adults through another person’s negligence. As a lawyer can explain, there is no filing deadline whatsoever for claims based on sexual misconduct that has already resulted in the defendant being criminally convicted of first-degree sexual assault or first-degree aggravated sexual assault.
No amount of money can erase the pain and trauma that being sexually abused causes. What civil recovery can do, however, is help you move on with your life with as much financial stability as possible. Civil recovery can also help you achieve another measure of justice against the person who assaulted you and the people who enabled their misconduct.
Representation from a capable Connecticut sexual abuse lawyer can seriously improve your chances of getting a favorable case result without piling additional stress on yourself or your loved ones. Call Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC today to set up your free initial consultation.
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