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If you or a loved one is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, you may have questions like:
We can connect you to experienced sex abuse attorneys that can help you learn about your legal rights in a free consultation.
Sexual abuse in religious organizations is a global problem affecting many different religions and denominations. Tragically, sexual predators often seek out positions as religious clergy members where they’ll be trusted by their communities. These predators then exploit this trust to commit unimaginably heinous crimes against children in their congregations.
Many victims of clergy sex abuse have begun fighting back by taking legal action against perpetrators and the religious organizations that claim to protect their followers from sexual predators. If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a priest or another religious clergy member, you may be wondering about your family’s legal rights.
The Legal Herald has nationwide connections with sexual abuse attorneys who dedicate themselves to helping victims and their families fight for the answers, support, and justice they need and deserve. They are prepared to help your family find justice during this incredibly difficult and dark time.
Perhaps no other age group has been the victim of clergy abuse more so than young children. This is quite traumatic considering that becoming victims of sexual abuse at a young age can leave lifelong scars that survivors may never heal from.
Unfortunately, it is the innocence and trust of a child that perpetrators of child sexual abuse often leverage to commit their trespassings. They may also use the established power dynamics to take advantage of young minds who have been taught to follow every word that clergy members speak.
Lastly, perpetrators of child sex abuse in religious communities will use the fact that these same communities are often isolated from the rest of society to keep their abuse under wraps. By cutting themselves off from society, religious organizations can suppress any reports of clergy sexual abuse, thereby silencing survivors of sexual trespassings and discouring others from speaking up.
Regardless of whether survivors of clergy sexual abuse are young or old, they have the right to seek a sexual abuse attorney and file a lawsuit against the organization. When victims of sexual abuse find the courage to come forward, their age will never prevent them from leveraging the civil justice system to stop others from suffering the same undeserved fate.
If you believe your child was a victim, contact us today to speak to experienced clergy sexual abuse lawyers who can walk you through the legal options at your disposal.
Cases of sexual abuse by clergy members have been reported in many different religious organizations; some organizations have major and widespread crises with hundreds, if not thousands, of victims. This includes both adult and childhood sexual abuse cases.
The Roman Catholic Church has faced more clergy sex abuse allegations than any other religious organization. The church has faced more than 3,000 sexual assault lawsuits in the United States and has paid out over $3 billion in settlements. The true number of church sex abuse victims is unknown, as most have not followed lawsuits or even reported the abuse to law enforcement.
The victims in these lawsuits have accused the Roman Catholic Church of negligently failing to protect their followers from sexual assault by a Roman Catholic priest and/or another member of the organization. Some priests who have been credibly accused of sex abuse have been transferred to other churches, where they have abused other victims.
Catholic dioceses have a legal and moral obligation to protect the members of their congregation from sexual predators. When church officials fail to do so, survivors of clergy sexual abuse may have grounds for a lawsuit against the Catholic Church.
While the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a relatively small religious organization, there have also been widespread allegations of sexual abuse by church elders and members of various congregations. Furthermore, critics have accused the Jehovah’s Witnesses of grossly mishandling reports of child sexual abuse.
Official policies of the organization state that sexual abuse allegations can only be reported to law enforcement if a third party witnessed the abuse. Additionally, victims of sexual abuse within the organization have accused the Watch Tower Society of pressuring them to stay silent in order to avoid bringing embarrassment to the accused abuser and the organization as a whole.
Some alleged victims have fought back against the organization by filing civil sexual abuse lawsuits, alleging that the organization mishandled their reports of abuse and has put others at risk of being abused due to these inadequate policies.
Some of these lawsuits have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements and jury verdicts:
According to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News, there have been hundreds of allegations of clergy sexual abuse in the independent fundamental Baptist community. This investigation found over 700 victims of sexual assault, but that number could be higher when factoring in those who have not come forward with their accounts.
The perpetrators of this alleged sexual abuse included pastors, deacons, youth pastors, and other clergy members. Over the past 20 years, approximately 380 Southern Baptist church clergy members and volunteers have been accused of various forms of sexual misconduct.
Furthermore, this investigation found that churches have hired at least 35 Southern Baptist ministers and volunteers who had previously been accused of sexual abuse or sexual misconduct. Over 100 Southern Baptist youth pastors have been convicted or charged in sexual abuse cases.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) has also been the subject of several clergy sex abuse allegations. Like other religious organizations, the LDS church has been accused of failing to protect followers from sexual predators and even covering up the abuse to protect the church’s reputation.
If you’re a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, it’s important to be aware of your legal rights. You have legal options in both the criminal justice system and civil courts.
Reporting your abuser to law enforcement can lead to a criminal investigation and possible charges and criminal penalties. However, if you were abused due to church negligence, it’s also important to hold the church liable for failing to protect its congregation members from sexual abuse. This is where a civil lawsuit comes in.
Establishing negligence is a complicated process that will require assistance from an experienced church sex abuse victims lawyer. You can learn more about your legal rights by connecting with a local lawyer for a free consultation. Our team is happy to refer you to someone from our dedicated sex abuse victims lawyers network.
The amount of time adult or child victims have to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against a religious organization will depend on which state the abuse occurred in. Each state has its own statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits.
Several states have recently extended the window for filing these lawsuits and some currently have a one-year period where victims can file lawsuits regardless of when they were abused. Many other states have lawmakers pushing for similar legislation.
New York, New Jersey, and California have all recently passed new laws that have allowed sexual abuse survivors who previously were unable to file lawsuits to now do so. However, you should act immediately and consult a lawyer for an analysis of your statute of limitations.
You can learn more about how your state’s statute of limitations and local laws apply to your case by speaking with an experienced sex abuse victim attorney.
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