SEXUAL ABUSE AND ASSAULT LAWSUITS

Sexual abuse and assault are serious crimes and those who commit these acts should be criminally prosecuted and punished accordingly. However, a conviction in the criminal court system does not provide victims with the justice they deserve or the ability to recover financial compensation for the injuries and damages they suffered from the abuse or assault. Fortunately, the civil justice system can.

Victims have the right to take legal action not only against their abusers, but also the institutions that neglected a duty to safeguard them or failed to act when there were signs that sexual abuse or assault was taking place. Such institutions can include any public or private entity that failed to exercise the proper oversight that enabled or facilitated an environment where such acts could take place including, but not limited to, the following:

• Universities and Colleges
• School Districts
• Churches
• Businesses
• Nursing Homes
• Youth Organizations

Attorney Ethan Vessels accepts sexual abuse and assault civil cases in both Ohio and West Virginia. If you or a loved one has been abused or assaulted, please contact Ethan for a free, no obligation consultation that is kept strictly private and confidential. He can be reached by calling 740-374-5346 or sending a message here from this website. 

Sexual abuse describes sex crimes committed against children, minors under the age of 18. Children cannot legally consent to sexual activities. Even if someone who is under the age of 18 gives their consent, the act is considered sexual abuse in the eyes of the law.

Any type of sexual contact between a minor and an abuser, which can be either an adult or another child, is deemed sexual abuse. This includes physical acts such as kissing, touching, fondling, child molestation, rape, statutory rape, and sodomy. It can also include nonphysical acts, such as forcing a child to touch his or her own intimate parts, pressuring a child to watch pornography, and taking sexually explicit images or videos of children.

Sexual abuse can have serious adverse effects on a child both physically and emotionally. Signs of child sexual abuse may include such things as:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Withdrawal
• Mood Swings
• Personality Changes
• Bodily Injuries
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
  

Sexual assault describes sex crimes committed against adults. Any type of unwanted or forced sexual contact or behavior may be a form of sexual assault. This includes physical acts such as touching, fondling, kissing, rape, and sodomy. It also includes nonphysical acts, such as sexual harassment, exposing oneself, taking photographs, or recording video. 

The injuries and damages suffered from a sexual assault can be extensive. While physical wounds may eventually heal, the mental and emotional scars may last the remainder of the victim’s life.

Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities are frequently abused in many ways. One of the most unthinkable types of abuse is sexual assault. Residents are targeted because they are elderly, incapacitated, restrained, confused, or have some other type of physical or mental vulnerability.

It is estimated that one in ten people being cared for in nursing homes are sexually assaulted, but less than one-third of these crimes are ever reported. In most cases, the abuser is someone who works for or is employed by the nursing home facility.

The criminal justice system sets a high standard of proof to convict someone of a sexual abuse or assault crime. The case must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt before the person who has been charged can be found guilty and sentenced.

In the civil court system, the standard of proof can be much lower. Since accusations of sexual abuse can often depend heavily on personal testimony, many sexual abuse cases may have a higher probability of success in civil court rather than criminal court.

In sexual abuse cases involving adults, a victim has one year from the date of the original incident to file their case.

If sexual abuse involves a child or a person who was abused as a child, the statute of limitations changes. The victim has three years from the day they turn 18 or three years from the day the abuse was first discovered to file their lawsuit. Parents also have the right to bring a civil lawsuit on behalf of a minor child.

For over sixteen years, people in Ohio and West Virginia have been contacting Ethan Vessels for legal advice, guidance, and representation when they or a loved one has become the victim of sexual abuse or assault.

Ethan is a proven trial attorney who adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards. He has the experience, reputation, and resources needed to prevail in these types of complex lawsuits. Ethan typically handles these cases with co-counsel at no additional expense to the client.

Please contact Ethan Vessels for a free, no obligation consultation. He will answer all your questions and provide you with the feedback you need to decide whether you should pursue a sexual abuse or assault lawsuit and the amount of time you have remaining to take legal action. The meeting and its details will be kept strictly private and confidential.

When he accepts sexual abuse or assault cases, he typically works on a contingent fee basis, which means there is no fee for his legal services until and unless a settlement or verdict is reached.