January 29th, 2025

How To Seek Legal Help After Sexual Abuse

How to seek legal help after sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is a crime where the physical injuries may heal, but the emotional trauma can last a lifetime. That trauma can impact a person’s ability to maintain healthy relationships and can hamper their ability to work. It is also a crime that is shrouded in shame and embarrassment for the victim, who often feels as though they are at fault or completely helpless to do anything. If you or someone you love was a victim of sexual abuse, you may be entitled to seek legal aid.

The frequency of sexual abuse crimes is on the rise. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every nine minutes, that victim is a child. Sadly, many of those instances of abuse never get reported. For the victims, resources are available to facilitate reporting these crimes.

You can also find legal help by contacting the attorneys at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan. We have helped many clients deal with these sensitive and complex issues. If you need to discuss what happened and the options you should pursue, you can set up a free consultation. In that first discussion, it will help if you’re able to provide documentation that will help support your story.

Seek Medical Attention

It is essential to get medical attention immediately following any abuse incident. While this can present challenges, documenting injuries and collecting vital information is the best way. If you share with the medical professionals that you were assaulted, the police will have to be notified. That is further proof of the incident.

If seeking medical attention is not a viable option because of your circumstances, you can take photos of your injuries with your cell. Additionally, you should bag up any of your clothing that might also contain evidence of the assault. All of that information can be shared with the police and your attorneys.

Document Your Abuse Incidents

You know if you’ve been abused. In the eyes of the law, your specific abuse incident needs to be categorized between sexual harassment or physical abuse. The first thing you have to maintain is any digital evidence between you and your abuser.

Digital evidence can take the form of emails, texts, pictures, or videos. You should print out anything that you can and keep it in a secure location. It is important to make sure all those documents include the date, time, and sender. You can also generate and print screenshots of texts.

You want to make sure that any of the documentation you collect needs to be kept safe from your abuser if that is someone you are living with or has access to your private space. You can create a separate email address and send the documentation to yourself. It is important to note that abusers often monitor the social media movements of their victims. That is why you need to set up email accounts they would have no knowledge of.

It is also crucial that you write down what happened to you. You need to write down when, where, how, and what happened to you. If you don’t want to physically write this information, you can set up a password-protected online journal.

Talking to a Sexual Abuse Attorney

If you or someone you care for has been the victim of a sexual abuse, you have two options for seeking a remedy and justice. You can speak to the authorities and an experienced sexual abuse attorney. The authorities will prosecute the criminal aspects of the incident.

A sexual abuse attorney can help you seek compensation for your losses. That includes any current and future medical bills and costs for ongoing therapy. You could also pursue a remedy for lost wages or earnings that are a result of your abuse incident.

When you meet with an attorney, you can confidently share what happened. You’ll find that your attorney can help coordinate with the proper authorities. They can also assist with obtaining a restraining order against your abuser. Most importantly, your attorney will provide emotional support and information regarding your next course of action.

If you and your attorney decide to proceed with a civil lawsuit against your assailant, they will ensure you are fully prepared to testify. Keep in mind that your civil lawsuit is separate from the criminal trial, although the same evidence can be presented at both. However, the outcome of your civil trial is not dependent on the criminal trial results.

The attorneys at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan are standing by to answer your questions and provide the support you need to recover from what happened.