How Can Filing a Sexual Abuse Claim Help in Recovery?

Sexual abuse is a deeply traumatic experience that goes on to affect a person for the rest of their life. Due to the emotionally and physically traumatic nature of abuse, a survivor may find themselves in need of medical care and therapeutic services on a long-term basis. Medical and other care can be costly, but survivors of sexual abuse can seek compensation for these expenses referred to as “damages” by filing a civil claim against the responsible party. The responsible party in these situations could be solely the abuser, or the abuser in addition to another party that made the abuse possible due to negligence regarding safety. To learn more about options of physical, emotional, and financial recovery after sexual abuse, contact a sexual abuse lawyer.

Survivors of sexual abuse are eligible to seek compensation for their physical and emotional suffering.

Economic damages refer to financial losses that are relatively simple to calculate. Medical bills, lost wages, and vocational rehabilitation are all expenses that can be estimated on a fairly accurate basis in order to seek compensation for the victim equal to that amount.

Non-economic damages are harder to quantify and take the evaluation of an expert in the field to estimate the value of. Pain and suffering, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, and more are all considered non-economic damages which are just as worthy of being compensated as the more tangible economic damages.

Filing a sexual abuse claim can help survivors receive the financial support they need in an inherently costly recovery process.

Unfortunately, recovering from any kind of trauma can be a costly process. Past, present, and future medical bills can be extremely expensive, and the cost of psychiatric therapy to help recover from the emotional wounds of such an incident can be equally so. Additionally, there are the damages that vary from case to case. For instance, if a sexual abuse survivor experiences severe anxiety that is debilitating to the point that they cannot return to work, or that it affects their daily life and relationships, these damages should be accounted for in a sexual abuse lawsuit.

In a sexual abuse claim, the survivor and their legal representation will present evidence to prove not only what happened to them, but the ways that action is predicted to affect their lives far into the future. If a sufficient settlement is not reached outside of court, the case will then go to trial where a judge and jury will decide if the accused party is liable, and if so, what kind of compensation the injured party deserves in the final verdict.

Taking legal action by filing a claim can provide not only the financial aid necessary to cover the new expenses which have arisen or are predicted to arise as a result of the defendant’s actions, but may also result in punitive damages the defendant must pay. Punitive damages do not apply in every case, but in sexual abuse lawsuits, they may be applied as a form of punishment to deter the defendant from behaving similarly in the future.

To learn more about how filing a claim can help in the recovery process, or for help filing, reach out to a sexual abuse attorney.