Bradford Sexual Assault Lawyer
Victims of sexual abuse should know that there are legal avenues to compensate them for their significant hardship if they qualify. Though criminal courts are a vital element of obtaining justice for victims of sexual abuse, a sexual assault lawyer serving Bradford can help you pursue financial justice if you are eligible.
To begin the path to obtaining financial damages, call our team at Preszler Injury Lawyers today. Dial 1-800-JUSTICEnow for a free initial consultation regarding your case.
We Want to Hear Your Case, No Matter the Circumstances
Victims of sexual assault do not fit into any single category. Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault regardless of gender or presentation, and you should never assume that any identifying characteristic precludes you from a civil case against the person(s) that abused you.
All survivors of sexual abuse deserve a capable legal defense in pursuit of criminal justice, but also financial damages. We may be able to help you obtain the compensation you may be entitled to as a victim of sexual abuse.
How We Will Serve You
Our mission is to grant our clients the best possible shot at obtaining damages through empathetic representation. If you are unable to travel we will come to you, and from there we will:
- Listen and document your experience, forming the basis of our case around your experience
- Collect any available evidence, from medical tests to police reports, photographs, and any video of the incident
- Speak with any witnesses and document their accounts
- Consult medical professionals, including your doctors, to document the extent of your injuries and their impact on your daily life, ability to work, etc.
- Initiate the legal process, and follow it through from initial filing until we reach a settlement or judgement
- Ensure that your rights are protected throughout the entirety of the legal process
- And more
Your plate is full. Outsourcing your pursuit of financial damages to a lawyer may significantly reduce your burden going forward. Focus on your recovery and call our team at Preszler Injury Lawyers today at 1-800-JUSTICE for a free initial consultation.
There Is No Statute of Limitations on Sexual Assault Claims
The National Post reports that unlike many offenses, Canadian courts fairly recently ruled that survivors of sexual abuse can bring forth criminal and civil cases regardless of the time that has passed since their abuse.
This arose as the result of a bill proposed in 2017 which was intended to root out institutional sexual harassment. What it means for you is that you are legally permitted to bring a civil case of sexual abuse against a perpetrator regardless of when the abuse took place.
You should not wait, though. A sexual assault lawyer serving Bradford can help you get the details of your case on paper, and begin the legal aspects that are required to obtain damages.
Proving Liability and Obtaining Damages
If you are eligible for compensation, we will begin by trying to provide that the liable party inflicted your trauma and that they are responsible for the results of that trauma. This is certainly easier to do if the liable party has been convicted of the assault in criminal court, but it is also possible regardless of related criminal proceedings.
Our goal is to illustrate that you have been the victim of a tort, which occurs when somebody and/or their property is injured due to the wrongdoing of others. Several cases illustrate potential damages that could be awarded once we are able to prove that the liable party has committed a tort against you.
Ideally, we will prove that the perpetrator committed an intentional tort, defined as ‘deliberate acts intended to injure others, or to interfere with another person’s rights’.
Law Times reports that in one case where the liable party was found to have committed multiple intentional torts through sexual violence, the victim was awarded more than $200,000 in financial damages. Aggravating circumstances are considered when the courts issue their rulings, and your case may be subject to such considerations.
Common Damages Awarded in Sexual Assault Cases
We will review the specifics of your case to give you a clearer idea about what kinds and amounts of damages you may be awarded, but we have a general idea of the sort of damages victims of sexual abuse may be awarded in civil court.
You may be awarded compensation for:
- Medical expenses stemming from the abuse, including any hospital stays, ongoing medical attention, surgeries, emergency transportation, etc.
- Future medical expenses, such as the cost of transportation to appointments, the cost of the appointments themselves, and any physical rehabilitation necessary for recovery
- The cost of therapy for trauma-induced by the abuse
- And more
Beyond medical and recovery expenses, you could be compensated for the more insidious effects that sexual abuse can take, including but not limited to:
- Lost wages, whether due to your injuries or the lasting psychological trauma of sexual abuse
- Diminished earning capacity
- Diminished ability to earn an education
- And more
Beyond these court-awarded damages, victims of sexual abuse in Canada have access to community support networks even once their legal cases are closed.
Canadian Courts Are Sympathetic to Victims of Sexual Abuse
The fact that you can report your abuse at any point without a statute of limitations standing in your way is proof of this, as are recent judgments awarding abuse victims substantial damages.
How a Sexual Assault Lawyer Serving Bradford Will Help
We already listed a step-by-step rundown of what one of our lawyers will do to help you, but it is important to remember that the curveballs that will be thrown at you (or your lawyer) in court cannot be foreseen. Having an experienced lawyer by your side who knows the complexities of sexual assault-related statutes can be invaluable.
Call our team at Preszler Injury Lawyers today at 1-800-JUSTICE for a free initial consultation regarding your case.