Sexual abuse is a traumatic experience that can have a significant effect on your future. The criminal justice system often fails to secure justice for people who have been sexually abused, and many survivors never report it.
Even if you never made a report or revealed your secret, it may be possible to hold the wrongdoers accountable by seeking financial compensation through a civil lawsuit. Contact an Atlanta sexual abuse lawyer at Phillips Law Group for sensitive and effective legal representation.
Sexual abuse can have a negative and long-lasting impact on a survivor’s well-being. It can affect both their physical and mental health, preventing them from achieving their educational and professional goals and finding and maintaining nourishing personal relationships.
Especially in cases of childhood abuse, many survivors repress the memory of their experiences. When a survivor eventually remembers the abuse and connects it to problems they have experienced in their life, the sadness and anger they feel can be overwhelming. Even when an adult experiences sexual abuse, remembers it, and understands its impact, their sense of shame and powerlessness to change the situation can be debilitating.
Bringing a lawsuit is a way for survivors to hold their abusers accountable. A civil settlement or verdict is an acknowledgment that the survivor was wronged and that it was not their fault. While it cannot undo the harm that was done, working with an Atlanta attorney to pursue justice for sexual abuse can be an empowering experience.
There is a substantial body of evidence showing that it can take years for survivors to process sexual abuse. State legislatures across the country have taken note, and many have extended the statute of limitations for civil sexual abuse claims. Unfortunately, Georgia is not among them.
The law sets the statute of limitations for personal injury claims, including sexual abuse claims, at two years from the date of the incident. When a survivor was a child when the abuse occurred, the Official Code of Georgia § 9-3-33.1 allows them more time—they must file a lawsuit before their 23rd birthday. For cases involving abuse that occurred on or after July 1, 2015, survivors who did not immediately recall the abuse or connect it to injuries they had sustained must sue within two years of making that discovery.
Sexual abuse survivors in Atlanta should contact an attorney as quickly as possible after the incident. Even if a survivor believes that the time to sue has already passed, it may still be worth consulting a legal professional. Nationwide efforts are taking place to open up the courts to survivors of sexual abuse, and the law may change, allowing even lawsuits that were previously time-barred.
No sum of money can alleviate the suffering of a sexual abuse survivor, but forcing the wrongdoers to pay for their actions can provide some peace of mind.
Survivors can seek payment for past and future medical and mental health treatment made necessary by their abuse. When they can show that the experience impacted their earning potential, they can claim their lost income. Survivors are also entitled to payment for their mental anguish and diminished quality of life.
An attorney in Atlanta can bring a lawsuit against an individual sexual abuser and any institution or organization that enabled or covered up the abuse. In most cases, the abusers settle, sparing survivors the need to go to court.
Sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on your life, especially if it happened when you were a child. Working with an Atlanta sexual abuse lawyer from Phillips Law Group can help you take back control and hold the wrongdoers accountable.
Attorneys at Phillips Law Group represent sexual abuse survivors across the country with care, sensitivity, and a determination to get them justice. Contact the intake team today to schedule a free consultation where you can discuss pursuing a claim against your abusers.
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