Patients place a great deal of trust in their therapists. Mental health professionals should not abuse that trust. If you are the survivor of sexual abuse perpetrated by your therapist in Illinois, with Jenner Law, you have legal options.
An Illinois therapist sexual abuse lawyer on our team can advocate for you. We can seek financial recovery for your hardships and work to bring you closure. Right now, you deserve to focus your energy on moving forward. Your lawyer can manage your civil case.
How Can Our Therapist Sexual Abuse Attorney Help?
Your civil case is a separate matter from the criminal charges the other party may face. A criminal case seeks to impose fines, jail time, and other penalties. A civil case, however, seeks compensation for the pain and suffering you experienced.
Our firm can help you by:
- Examining your case and determining your legal options
- Seeking justice in the form of financial recovery
- Supporting you through the entire aftermath of the abuse
- Handling your case’s legal paperwork
- Determining the at-fault and liable parties
- Filing your case in court, if necessary
- Keeping you updated on your case’s progression
Our therapist abuse firm also serves sexual abuse survivors on a contingency-fee basis. In this arrangement, you pay nothing for our services. A percentage of your final settlement or court award accounts for our help. We want to make legal help accessible to survivors of sexual abuse.
For a free legal consultation with a therapist sexual abuse lawyer call,
(888) 585-2188
Financial Recovery in an Illinois Sexual Abuse Case
A settlement or court award should account for each of your hardships, including those you haven’t experienced yet. We aim to seek recovery for:
- Your medical bills. You may have required medical treatment due to the abuse. A settlement could account for mental health counseling, treatment for physical injuries, and relevant examinations.
- Your non-economic damages. Your financial losses only make up a portion of your claim’s overall value. You can also recover the cost of the personal hardships you endured, including pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and mental health complications.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of recoverable damages. We assess your losses based on your situation, including the severity of the abuse and its effect on your mental health.
Our Team Will Help You Seek Damages
Your legal options depend on your situation, including the liable party. For instance, if you endured abuse while getting therapy at an institution, we could file a claim with the institution’s liability insurance. Filing a claim requires us to:
- Have supporting evidence of the therapist’s negligence
- Communicate with the involved parties
- Understand your damages and their cost
- Protect you from opposing parties
We may file a lawsuit if filing a successful claim isn’t possible. In that instance, we have to interview witnesses, take depositions, and argue your case. Our therapist sexual abuse lawyers in Illinois know that going to court may be difficult. We aim to make this process as stress-free as possible.
Your Case Comes With Time-Sensitive Deadlines
Every civil sexual abuse case comes with a filing deadline. Yet, you may not understand yours, especially if the abuse happened years ago. Our team can listen to your story and determine your case’s filing deadline. Don’t assume anything about your options. Even if the abuse happened years ago, the state may still offer legal recourse.
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Questions You May Have About Your Illinois Sexual Abuse Case
You likely have many questions while you are considering getting legal help. We want to put your mind and worries at ease. So, we’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions we get from others in your situation. Some of those questions include:
Why did the Abuse Occur?
Due to the nature of therapy, the therapist gains more control of the sessions and process than the client. Therapists are trained to notice when the client grows a personal affection for them (transference) and when they allow their feelings and traumas to infiltrate counseling (countertransference). Most therapists will take care of these issues and may even use them to resolve the client’s trauma.
Others exploit the situation and their client, grooming them for a sexual relationship.
What Constitutes Sexual Abuse in Illinois?
The state defines sexual abuse as any non-consensual sexual act between two people. We advocate for people who have experienced any of the following with their therapist:
- Kissing, fondling, or touching
- Sexual intercourse
- Viewing of pornography
- Indecent exposure
- Voyeurism
Therapists have a code of ethics when it comes to interactions with patients. They must abstain from any behavior that crosses a boundary. This means mental health counselors must keep conversations and interactions strictly professional. Anything outside of these boundaries could make them liable for any resulting damages.
What If the Sexual Abuse Happened When I Was a Child?
If you were a child when you experienced sexual abuse, the state may still allow you to seek damages. Your legal rights depend on many factors, including your current age and how old you were when the abuse happened. We can examine your legal options during your free case review.
What If the Other Party Says the Abuse Was Consensual?
You were likely in a vulnerable position when you sought mental health care. So, to deflect liability, the therapist may allege that you agreed to participate in certain sex acts. This is a deplorable accusation, and our team counters such allegations with evidence. No sexual contact between a client and their therapist is acceptable.
How Long does It Take to Recover Damages in an Illinois Sexual Abuse Case?
There is no set timeline for sexual abuse cases. How long it takes to resolve your case depends on many factors, including how quickly we can find certain evidence. We want to bring your case to a swift resolution, so you can focus on moving forward. We intend to combat anything that stalls your case’s progression. You can learn more about our commitment by reading our former client testimonials.
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Seek Legal Remedies for Therapist Sex Abuse in Illinois
The trauma of sexual abuse can linger for many years. We hope to bring you closure and justice by recovering compensation for your damages. An attorney from Jenner Law can investigate your case, calculate your losses, and otherwise seek what you need. To begin a free case review, call now. We want to start supporting you today.
Call or text (888) 585-2188 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form