$4,000,000 Sexual Abuse Settlement Secured by Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC

Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC, in conjunction with one of our highly regarded affiliated law firms, has successfully secured a four-million-dollar settlement related to allegations of sexual assault, sexual abuse, grooming of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor, involving a minor employed by a municipal entity. A multi-count lawsuit was originally filed on behalf of our client, and after protracted mediation and negotiation, we’re pleased to announce that this amount was recently reached on their behalf.

Our Firm Represents Clients in Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits and Wins

Since 1990, Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC has been involved in numerous such injury cases which have resulted in the successful recovery of many millions of dollars for our deserving clients and their families. Most of the time, these types of criminal acts are perpetrated by those who hold positions of power over others, such as doctors, teachers, scout leaders, mentors, psychologists, professors, police officers, and even lawyers.

Our legal team is comprised of highly experienced trial attorneys who understand the life-long effects and devastating psychological toll that sexual violence exacts. Accordingly, our attorneys always strive to be patient, compassionate and understanding with our clients, whether they are adults or children, and whether special needs considerations or disabilities exist or not.

What Types of Sexual Injury Cases are Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC Currently Handling?

Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC has represented our valued clients in virtually every type of case imaginable. Bringing civil injury lawsuits and civil rights cases against those responsible for sexual assaults and abuses are especially important to us though. Some of the many such cases that we have handled or are currently handling include allegations involving:

Ongoing sexual molestation, assault and grooming of underage girls by a female coach involving a Chicago Suburban Park District and USA Gymnastics;
Molestation involving a priest working for the Archdiocese of Chicago which occurred when our adult male client was a child;
Case involving our adult female client sexually assaulted by a male nurse at a prestigious Chicago area hospital in the course of giving her an electrocardiogram;
Repeated sexual assault of our male client by a male nurse at a well-known Chicago hospital while he was listed in very serious medical condition;
Case involving a young developmentally delayed client who was tied up and abused by a school staff member at a Chicago Charter School;
Sexual abuse/molestation of a very young female child by a school employee during pre-school class;
Repeated sexual contact and physical abuse of multiple team members by a sports coach at a Chicago area high school;
A failure to supervise residents in a Chicago rehabilitative facility which resulted in the sexual abuse of our client, an autistic child;
A failure to supervise a young child during a Chicago Summer Camp, resulting in an assault in the washroom by a sexual predator;
Our client, an adult male, who was raped by a male nurse while receiving dialysis at a prominent Chicago hospital.

These are just some of our many cases. If you’d like to discuss your situation in complete confidence and confidentiality, call us at (312) 243-9922 and speak privately and directly with an experienced and trained attorney on our legal team. You can also speak directly with Attorney Mitchell Sexner if you request. Phone lines at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC are open 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.

What Are Some Examples of Verdict and Settlement Amounts?

Victims of sexual violence have an absolute right to file a civil lawsuit seeking monetary damages for the physical, psychological and other traumas caused to them by those responsible. It is always highly advisable to hire an experienced legal team such as Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC in order to protect your rights and secure the greatest possible financial recovery. Some examples of recent settlements and verdicts for cases such as these include:

$23,000,000 – Settlement in a class action lawsuit against a doctor who was accused of sexually abusing his patients while under anesthesia
$2,000,000 – Amount of settlement against the County because a middle school teacher sexted (sent graphic sexual content and sexual images) to a 13 year old female student.
$19,000,000 – A federal jury in Illinois awarded more than nineteen million dollars to a woman who alleged that her prison counselor sexually assaulted and raped her while in custody
$4,750,000 – Settlement relating to the negligent hiring of a bus driver who subsequently sexually abused a special needs child while on a bus
$1,300,000 – A jury awarded this amount against the school district for failing to properly monitor and protect a special ed student who was molested by another student
$12,000,000 – Against a residential facility for negligently allowing sexual abuse of a child with special needs.
$45,000,000 – Awarded against the County because social workers failed to protect a child from further sexual attacks and failed to take action to prevent further assaults knowing that a child molester was living in the same household
$2,000,000 – Verdict against the County after a trial for failing to prevent a sports coach from having a continued sexual relationship with an underage female athlete
$25,000,000 –For failing to protect a child who suffered years of sexual abuse while in the care of the Department of Children and Families (known as DCFS in Illinois), even though this happened more than 30 years ago
$1,400,000 – Boys and Girls Club awarded this amount for failing to monitor and prevent a sexual assault that happened when one student assaulted the other
$13,000,000 – Against a childcare facility who failed to check on the children regularly and this resulted in an older boy molesting a young girl
$25,000,000 – Involving a school district that failed to take action after a sports coach / security guard molested a male student
$6,500,000 – Trial verdict relating to the sexual abuse of teenage boys with substance abuse problems by an AA sponsor in an after-school program

Who Commits Sexual Assaults?

Although those who commit such crimes can be virtually anyone of any background, a high percentage of assaults and abuse are directed at female victims by adult male offenders with whom they are familiar. Another common thread that connects sexual violence is that many of these offenders often hold what are considered to be “positions of power” over the victim in some way. Some examples of those that hold positions of power over others include:

Teachers and other school personnel over students
Boy Scout, Girl Scout or other such organizational leaders over those they supervise
Police officers over community members and those charged with crimes
Family members over other members of the family
Psychologists and Psychiatrists over patients
Employers, managers, supervisors and other management over employees
College professors over students in their classes
Big Brothers, Big Sisters, 4H, and other mentoring programs over their mentees
Nursing home personnel over their patients
USA Gymnastics, USFS, USOPC and other sports organizations over athletes
Foster parents over foster children and DCFS (Illinois Department of Children & Family Services) placements
College and high school coaches relating to sexual acts with student athletes, such as occurred at U of Arizona, Ohio State, Michigan State, U of Texas, LSU, and Penn State.
Medical professionals, such as a nurse, doctor, orderly, X-ray technician, nursing home attendant, LPN, RN, counselor, mental health associate, or therapist over patients

How Can We Hold These Offenders Accountable?

The first obvious way to hold offenders accountable is by contacting the authorities and having them criminally prosecuted. Of course, this is often easier said than done. The vast majority of victims choose not to contact police for a wide variety of personal reasons, fearing reprisal, stigma, gossip, being questioned or in the general interest of their personal mental health and recovery. No judgements should ever be made about whether someone chooses to pursue criminal prosecution or not, as each person must do what is best for them.

Can I Still File a Civil Lawsuit if I didn’t Contact the Police?

Yes. Regardless of whether police were contacted, a victim of sexual assault or sexual abuse can still file a lawsuit seeking financial compensation from the offender or the offender’s employer under some circumstances. Depending on the situation, the amount of recovery may be significant, such as our recent $4,000,000 recovery for one of Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC’s clients.

Without a doubt, no amount of money can ever undo what has been done. That is uncontestable. But many victims of sexual violence can benefit greatly from a successful civil action which allows them to pay for the very best medical and psychological treatment available as they begin the long road to recovery. A substantial monetary recovery also sends a very strong message to the wrongdoer (and their employer or enabler in many situations) that this will not be tolerated. If you have any questions about initiating such a lawsuit, you can contact Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC at (312) 243-9922 anytime.

Sexual Assaults by Doctors, Nurses & Other Medical Professionals

Sexual assaults by clergy, teachers, coaches, police, psychologists, scout leaders and athletic trainers are all reprehensible and terrible, especially because these offenders often take advantage of their victims by using their positions of trust to do so.

Equally shocking are those assaults and abuses that are perpetrated by those in the health care and medical industry. In these cases, the victims literally put their lives in the hands of these people, who in return commit unspeakable acts upon those in whom they have placed their trust.

The vast majority of doctors, nurses, radiology technicians, home health care workers and the sort are employed by hospitals, medical groups, or other companies. But regardless of who they work for, medical professionals are typically insured by some form of medical malpractice insurance, either personally, through their employers, and/or in conjunction with policies carried by the hospitals or medical groups with which they affiliate. The policy limits on such insurance policies will usually range from a million dollars to limits in the hundreds of millions.

“They Could Have Done Something”

Some of these medical personnel are undoubtedly serial or repeat offenders, and in too many circumstances, the hospitals and medical practices that employ them turn a blind eye to their crimes, all seemingly in the selfish pursuit of increasing monetary revenues for their medical businesses. This is why employers must also be held accountable and why they are usually also sued as defendants in these types of sexual abuse lawsuits.

How Common are Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assaults?

Unfortunately, sexual abuse and assault are incredibly common. Yet more than any other crime, rape often goes unreported with only 12% of childhood abuse/assault victims and only 37% of adult victims contacting the police or other authorities. Sexual violence affects adults as well as children, and affects people of all races, sexual orientations, cultures, ages and socio-economic conditions. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the statistics are staggering, some of which include:

Sexual Violence Generally

1 in 71 men and 1 in 5 women at one point in their lives will be raped
91% of sexual assault or rape victims are female, while 9% are male
8% of sexual assaults occur during work
80% of rape victims knew who sexually assaulted them
Almost 10% of women have been raped by an intimate partner

College Sexual Assault

Over 90% of college sexual assaults are not reported
1 in 16 men and 1 and 5 women are sexually assaulted at college

Childhood Sexual Assault

1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18 years old
34% of sexual abusers are family members
76% of child sexual abusers are adults, and 96% of them are male
28% of men were 10 or younger when first victimized
30% of women were between the ages of 11 and 17 when first victimized, while 12% were 10 or younger

Are There Time Limits on Initiating a Sexual Assault or Abuse Lawsuit?

In the past, Illinois Statutes of Limitation (time limits) to bring both criminal and civil actions relating to sexual violence were strictly limited and had to be brought within a short period of years. But over the last decade, recent changes to the laws in Illinois have greatly expanded the time limits for filing a sexual abuse lawsuit seeking monetary recovery as well as time limits to seek criminal prosecution. This has been positive and welcome news indeed.

In large part, these new laws have resulted from the recognition that victims of abuse and assault often don’t wish to even begin to consider such options until many years later. Sometimes, whether relating to adult survivors or childhood victims of molestation, the memories themselves may also have been repressed and not even fully recalled until years later.

So, whereas in the past some victims were prevented from filing a personal injury lawsuit because they waited too long to contact an attorney, present Illinois laws now have time limitations that are much, much longer and in many cases, there are no time limitations at all. Therefore, it is always a good idea to contact an experienced sexual abuse attorney as soon as you can, to learn which limits (if any) apply to your or your family member’s situation.

Sexual Violence Lawsuits Require Serious Legal Representation – We Can Help.

The insurance companies that represent defendants such as doctors, hospitals, religious entities, professional sporting organizations, police departments such as Chicago Police and municipalities like the City of Chicago for example, take these lawsuits very seriously—as they should. In an all-out attempt to prevent paying money to the people that they have harmed, they hire some of the best lawyers to defend their financial interests.

But the highly skilled attorneys affiliated with Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC take these insurance company lawyers head-on every day and win. They consistently achieve success for our deserving clients and have recovered many millions of dollars in successful trial verdicts and pre-trial settlements.

Contact a member of our experienced legal team now for a free no-obligation consultation about your situation, or on behalf of your family member. All calls are strictly confidential and our attorneys always strive to be compassionate, patient, and understanding. Our phone lines at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC are open 24/7. Contact us today at (312) 243-9922.