Being subjected to sexual assault or abuse can be a singularly traumatic experience, and no two people will have the exact same responses after going through an experience of this nature. However, there are certain scenarios in which two or more people may have grounds to sue the same person over abuse that person committed against each of them individually, or against an organization that allowed systemic sexual abuse to occur under its watch.
In these situations, multiple survivors can join together and file a civil suit over the sexual abuse they experienced, seeking restitution as a group for the harm they have sustained. However, these claims work a little differently than sexual assault lawsuits filed by just one person against just one abuser, as a member of our team here at Phillips Law Group can explain in more detail.
What Is a “Mass Tort” Lawsuit?
When two or more people experience similar harm as a result of a single person or entity’s misconduct, all those injured people would have grounds to file very similar personal injury lawsuits against the individual(s) at fault for harming them. However, this can create bottlenecks in the civil court system, and on top of that, multinational organizations—for instance, the Catholic Church—have extensive legal and financial resources which can be too much for any one person to overcome on their own.
The solution to this is often what’s known as a “mass tort”: a legal filing in which multiple people with similar “causes of action” for lawsuits combine financial and legal resources in order to pursue compensation as a group from the people and/or organization at fault for the harm they all suffered. Each person participating in the mass tort would still maintain their own independent claim, but they would all have more support from people who went through the same experience they did, and evidence and court verdicts supporting those other people’s claims could also be used to support their own.
Possible Grounds for a Mass Tort Sexual Abuse Claim
Generally speaking, mass tort lawsuits over sexual abuse are appropriate for scenarios in which a single organization allowed multiple people it employed, oversaw, or otherwise directed to sexually abuse many people over a prolonged period of time. This could make it easier to file suit against entities like:
- Specific schools and/or school districts
- Religious organizations
- Foster homes, shelters, and/or government bodies responsible for overseeing them
- Youth organizations like the Boy Scouts of America
- Youth athletic organizations
Less commonly, it is possible to pursue mass tort litigation against a single person who committed sexual abuse against a very large number of people over a long period of time and/or who engaged in sex trafficking.
Work With Phillips Law Group on a Joint Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
If you have questions about your options for filing suit against your abuser(s), a member of our team can provide answers and guidance about next steps during a free, no-obligation consultation. Call today to schedule yours.
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