Your Personal Injury Lawyers
Markham Sexual Assault Lawyer
At the top of the list of heinous crimes one person can commit against another is sexual assault. This act leaves emotional and psychological scars that remain long after the physical wounds heal, making it difficult to impossible for the victim to return to a normal life, one with healthy, loving, trusting relationships. If you or someone you love suffered a sexual assault in Markham, you deserve both justice and financial compensation. A sexual assault lawyer serving Markham from Preszler Injury Lawyers can help you receive them.
At Preszler Injury Lawyers, our sexual assault lawyers serving Markham have been helping victims exact justice and take home the compensation they deserve for many years. We understand you are going through what is likely the most painful and difficult time in your life, and we want to do everything possible to help you through it, starting with going after your assailant in court.
To learn more about Preszler Injury Lawyers and how our sexual assault legal team serving Markham can help you, schedule a free initial case evaluation today. Call us at 1-800-JUSTICE.
Sexual Assault
What is sexual assault? It seems like a silly question, one with an obvious answer, but many people are misinformed about what sexual assault is as well as the specific acts it covers. There is a common misconception that if no physical attack occurred than it is not sexual assault. People who believe this are wrong by conflating another form of sexual abuse—sexual battery—with assault. Here are the similarities and differences between the two:
Sexual Battery
Sexual battery is what many people confuse with sexual assault. It involves unwanted or forced physical contact of a sexual nature. Two of the most common types are rape and molestation.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault may—and often does—include sexual battery, but it might not include any form of physical contact at all. The word assault, by definition, describes not a physical attack but any situation where one party intentionally causes another to fear for their life or safety, usually via threats or intimidation. If these threats or intimidation tactics are sexual in nature, then it is sexual assault, whether the assailant followed through with a physical attack or not.
The Injuries Caused by Sexual Assaults
A sexual assault can inflict a long list of injuries, and this is true whether the assault includes sexual battery or not. In fact, even when a physical attack occurs, it is often the emotional scars that wreak the most long-term damage to the victim’s life. People who have suffered sexual assaults often find it difficult to form trusting relationships and enjoy intimacy with others. This difficulty can last years, decades, or for a lifetime after the assault.
Preszler Injury Lawyers can help you recover substantial compensation for the injuries caused by your sexual assault, even if those injuries were not physical.
For a free initial case evaluation with a sexual assault lawyer serving Markham, call us at 1-800-JUSTICE.
Your Options for Taking Action
After a sexual assault, you have a couple of options when it comes to taking action against the perpetrator. You can file criminal charges or a civil lawsuit, or you can do both.
Criminal Charges
Sexual assault carries substantial criminal penalties that include jail time and fines. If convicted, your assailant will likely have a criminal record that hampers them for the rest of their life. However, you cannot win financial compensation in criminal court. This action must be done via a civil lawsuit.
Civil Lawsuit
You can win damages in a civil lawsuit even if your assailant somehow avoids a criminal conviction. Preszler Injury Lawyers will file a civil lawsuit on your behalf and pursue your case in court, helping you obtain from your assailant the full compensation to which you are entitled under Ontario law.
The Time to Take Action
In Ontario, sexual assault victims used to be bound by a two-year statute of limitations on filing a civil lawsuit. The National Post reports that this statute has been removed, and victims now have unlimited time to file. However, it is a good idea to take action as soon as possible, as evidence can lose its power or disappear over time.
Damages You Can Recover
The sexual assault lawyers serving Markham at Preszler Injury Lawyers can help you recover a settlement from the perpetrator. We go after the following damages and more:
Medical Expenses
This expense includes the cost of medical care for your physical injuries as well as all expenses associated with treating your emotional or psychological distress, including counseling, therapy, and psychiatric care. We pursue the responsible party for both current and anticipated future costs.
Pain and Suffering
We also help you recover money for your pain and suffering. While it is difficult to assign a dollar value to the emotional anguish and loss of enjoyment of life caused by the assault, we pursue the compensation permitted by the courts.
For a Free Sexual Assault Injury Legal Initial Consultation, Call Preszler Injury Lawyers at 1-800-JUSTICE
Our team is ready to get to work for you today. Serving Markham and surrounding areas, Preszler Injury Lawyers fights for sexual assault victims, helping you recover the compensation you deserve. To schedule your free, no-obligation initial case evaluation today, call us at 1-800-JUSTICE.
