Kinston Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Sexual abuse can have terrible ramifications, and victims should be able to seek damages and justice. Adult victims of sexual abuse have three years from the time the abuse took place—or if they were underage at the time, three years from the date of their 18th birthday—to file a civil sexual abuse claim. In some cases, courts will consider allowing a longer time frame, especially if the memories of abuse were suppressed or the victim only recently learned of the abuse.

If you or your child suffered sexual abuse, you would benefit from contacting a dedicated Kinston personal injury lawyer. An experienced North Carolina sexual abuse attorney is available to help you pursue compensation from the abuser and hold them accountable for their conduct.

Classifying Sexual Abuse in Kinston

North Carolina law defines sexual abuse broadly and includes such acts as rape, sale or surrender of a minor, sexual exploitation, promoting or coercing prostitution, producing child pornography, showing pornography to children, and committing sexual acts or taking “indecent liberties” with juveniles.

If someone is uncertain whether sexual abuse has taken place, an experienced sexual abuse attorney in North Carolina could investigate and provide an experienced and legally thorough opinion on the facts of the case.

Civil vs. Criminal Sexual Abuse Cases

Sexual abuse in Kinston is a serious crime that should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Unfortunately, many cases of sexual abuse go unreported and cannot be prosecuted years after the fact. While this can be frustrating for sexual abuse survivors and their families, there is still some recourse for these sexual abuse victims.

While it may be too late to prosecute a sex abuse crime, sexual abuse victims may still seek to hold their abusers accountable through a civil claim. Civil personal injury claims seek monetary damage awards as compensation for the harm the defendant has caused.

Gaining a monetary award is rarely the sole benefit of a sexual abuse lawsuit in Kinston. Rather, sexual abuse survivors often seek some form of justice for the crimes perpetrated against them, and may hope to prevent future abuses from that same perpetrator by exposing their deeds.

Kinston Sexual Abuse Lawyer Near Me (800) 785-5000

Sexual Abuse Within Larger Institutions

This motivation for victims to help prevent further sexual abuse is especially true when an organization or larger group, such as an employer, church, scouting organization, medical provider, juvenile facility, school or other entity acted to shelter the sexual abuser, or enabled their activity by not turning them over to authorities or continuing to put minors in their care.

In many instances, organizations will go to great lengths to hide sexual abuse within their ranks. Obviously, such egregious conduct makes for bad public relations and can hurt the group’s bottom line, but rarely do they have the victim’s best interest in mind. These groups may try to offer settlements and request that victims stay silent in return.

These types of negotiations are often balanced in favor of the larger institution, since the individual victim is usually much less powerful than a prominent organization with many high-profile contacts and greater financial clout. For this reason, it is often crucial for sexual abuse victims to seek help from a Kinston sexual abuse attorney when they take on these powerful entities.

How a Kinston Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help

Anyone who has suffered sexual abuse should consult as soon as possible with an experienced Kinston sexual abuse attorney who can advocate for them throughout the entire civil suit process and work to hold their abuser accountable.

Having a compassionate sexual abuse attorney by your side can ease your mind and ensure your rights are protected. Call now to schedule a confidential consultation.