Top Sexual Abuse Lawyer Los Angeles Offers to Victims of Sex Crimes
Sexual abuse is a horrible crime that wrecks lives, and creates severe trauma in survivors. People who suffered from sexual abuse often experience long-term psychological and emotional damage that can degrade personal relationships, romantic relationships, relationships with family, and sexual abuse can cause trauma severe enough that it can have an impact on one’s work performance. There are several types of sexual abuse that cause personal injury, and that requires one to work with the best sexual abuse lawyer in Los Angeles serving victims of sexual crimes in the state of California. These are as follows:
- Verbal Sexual Abuse – The use of spoken or written words to evoke, imply or express sexual content. Verbal sexual abuse is highly common and is experienced at work, in the home, and in social settings. Crude humor is often justified in our culture despite the fact that it hurts a large number of people. Often, people are fearful to report verbal sexual abuse because they don’t want to be viewed as “not having a sense of humor”, and they fear the risk of losing their job or experiencing some form of consequences as a result of speaking up. Examples of sexual abuse include comments about physical appearance / development, name-calling, graphic sexual descriptions, “sexting”, unwanted romantic advances, solicitation, and using phone calls, emails, and messages of a sexual nature to stalk people.
- Visual Sexual Abuse – Sexual images are all around us through advertising, television, and in magazines. But being exposed to unwanted sexual images is a form of abuse. Examples of visual sexual abuse includes sharing unwanted sexual content such as nude photos or images of a sexual nature, airdropping and “sexting” explicit materials, flashing, exhibitionism, nudity, improper dress, and performing sexual acts in front of another non-consenting individual.
- Covert Sexual Abuse – This happens without the victim’s knowledge, after the fact. Examples of covert sexual abuse include “peeping” through windows and being observed, photographed, followed, stalking on social media, and sexual-cyber harassment. The abuser gets sexual gratification from stalking the victim without their knowledge.
- Ritualistic Sexual Abuse / Spiritual Sexual Abuse – Ritualistic sexual abuse, also known as spiritual abuse, is when sexual abuse is mixed with a ritual stemming from a belief system, or through religious practice. Some examples of ritualistic sexual abuse and spiritual sexual abuse include trying to justify a sexual action as an act of worship or penance. In this case, people in authoritative positions, such as a priest, religious teacher, church official, or organizational leader will target a victim who is under their influence with a sexual motive. This type of abuse can include child marriage, genital mutilation, incest rituals, sexual rituals, and incantations or chants during acts of sexual abuse.
- Physical Sexual Abuse – Physical sexual abuse is defined as non-consensual touching, kissing, fondling, physical restraint, tickling, licking, urinating on, brushing up against, enemas, intercourse, oral sex, attempted rape, and sodomy. Powerful differentials almost always influence physical sexual abuse in a context where the victim is forced to say “Okay, fine”, instead of “No, stop”.
Attorney Andrew Ryan is the best sexual abuse lawyer in Los Angeles with decades of experience in protecting victims throughout the state of California. If you or a loved one have suffered from one of the above types of sexual abuse, give us a call and let our top sexual abuse lawyer protect your rights, bring the predator to justice, and help you collect the top compensation that you deserve.
What is Sexual Abuse?
We already covered types of sexual abuse, so let’s break this down by collectively joining the various forms and defining the act in legal terms. Sexual assault and battery are defined in California Penal Code Section 243.4 as the crime of touching the intimate part of another person, against the victim’s will and while the victim is unlawfully restrained, if the touching is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual abuse, or sexual gratification. In addition, sexual abuse is defined as any nonconsensual or unwanted sexual act against another person. Pressuring, forcing, manipulating, coercing, and intimidating someone into doing a sexual act (or tolerating a sexual act), is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is a crime, and it is also legally defined as a personal injury in that it can leave people with long-term physical, psychological and emotional damage that impacts their quality of life.
Sex abusers can target both adults and children. Sexual abusers can also assault people using both verbal and non-verbal tactics. If you believe that you or a loved one survived sexual abuse, regardless of the type, you need to call our experienced Los Angeles sexual abuse layer at The Ryan Law Group so that we can arrange a private consultation in which you will learn about your rights, what your case is worth, and determine how we can help you get your life back on track with the highest possible compensation.
How can the Best Sexual Abuse Lawyer in Los Angeles Offers Help Victims of Sex Crimes?
A large percentage of sexual abuse cases involve individuals, organizations, and corporations facilitating, or covering up the abuse. For example, a church may hide complaints about inappropriate behavior from priests, and have them relocated to other countries before they can be prosecuted. This can make the organization liable for the survivor’s damages, and the sexual abuse lawyers at The Ryan Law Group have experience in going up against powerful individuals and organizations in the name of justice. Our sexual abuse lawyer will strengthen your case through a number of channels, including calling in expert witnesses, and uncovering past abuse cases that were originally covered up. People who try to defend their own case never prove liability to the degree that a trained sexual abuse lawyer can, nor do they have the resources or know-how to conduct the right research and call in the right kind of witnesses that will strengthen the case. Our Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyers will protect your identity while handling your case in the most discreet manner possible, and we will support and assist you during your healing process.
Seeking Justice for Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Survivors in Los Angeles
The physical, emotional, and psychological damage following a sexual assault can be immense. The medical treatment that is required for recovery is lengthy and expensive. It may take years for a survivor of sexual assault to recover from their injuries. No up-front costs will be required to retain any of these services. In addition, we are absolutely committed to limiting the amount of avoidable stress and grief that these legal proceedings will inflict upon our client.
Most sexual abuse criminals are prosecuted by the state (see California Penal Code 243.4). However, even if the court was unable to convict, a sexual abuse victim can still demand justice through civil action. In cases where the victim was accessed through an employer, a business or another organization, those entities could be held liable for damages as well.
You can trust that the Los Angeles injury lawyers at The Ryan Law Group will be determined to achieve justice on your behalf. Our sexual assault attorneys will pursue compensation for medical treatment, rehabilitation, counseling, pain and suffering, and loss of income. The firm will manage all negotiations on the victim’s behalf in a discreet and professional manner while trying to limit the amount of avoidable stress and grief for our client. Your recovery is our priority, and you can receive excellent medical care for your injuries while we work on your case with no out-of-pocket expense to you.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Sexual Abuse in California?
All states have statutes of limitations to file civil claims for sexual abuse and assault. Statutes of limitations are deadlines on the right to take legal action. In California, the statute of limitations depends on the age of the victim at the time of the last act or attempted act of assault.
If the sexual abuse survivor was under the age of 18 at the time of the last act of assault, the victim has until his or her 40th birthday or 5 years from the date of discovery of the abuse to file a civil lawsuit.
If the survivor was over the age of 18, he or she will have either 10 years from the date of the attempted act or last act of sexual assault or 3 years from the date the survivor discovered or reasonably should’ve discovered that his or her mental condition or injury resulted from sexual assault. The best way to make sure you file by your deadline is to contact a sexual abuse lawyer in Los Angeles as soon as possible.
Compensation for Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault in Los Angeles, CA
At The Ryan Law Group, we know that no amount of money can ever make up for being sexually abused or assaulted. It is important to realize that filing a civil claim does more than provide financial compensation, however. It also brings a perpetrator to justice and holds a person or institution accountable. Filing a civil suit can bring you closure by holding an abuser responsible for everything he or she put you through.
That being said, a financial award can also help you move forward by giving you greater financial stability and peace of mind as you look toward the future. The financial compensation that may be available for a sexual assault or abuse claim in California includes:
- Medical bills
- Therapy costs
- Rehabilitation
- Medications
- Any losses of income
- Court costs and attorney’s fees
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or mental anguish
- Psychological damage
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Loss of consortium with your partner
- Punitive damages
Your list of compensable damages will vary according to the unique ways in which sexual abuse or assault impacted you. A Los Angeles sexual abuse lawyer from The Ryan Law Group can help you create your list, as well as go up against a powerful insurance corporation or another defendant in pursuit of maximum financial compensation. We don’t back down from a fight; our sexual assault attorneys can represent you at trial in Los Angeles County, if necessary.
Call the Ryan Law Group for Your Free, Confidential Consultation with the Best Sexual Abuse Lawyer Los Angeles has to Offer
A partnership with our team at The Ryan Law Group will provide a sexual abuse survivor with professional and confidential support. We treat these cases with the utmost tact and sensitivity. We want to hold the perpetrators liable for these crimes, and we will fight tirelessly in order to obtain generous compensation for the victim.
The sexual assault attorneys at The Ryan Law Group strive to provide strong representation for all subjected to sexual harassment. We understand how such a heinous act can affect victims physically and psychologically. With our respectful services, we fight for these clients and commit our efforts to get a legally justifiable result. Contact The Ryan Law Group to hire an experienced Los Angeles sexual abuse attorney for your case.