Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog

If you were abused by a teacher or coach or any other person that was entrusted with your care when you were a child, or if it is your child who is the sex abuse victim, you may be able to sue the perpetrator and the organization or institution that allowed the abuse to take place.

Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law is a Chicago child sexual abuse attorney who has helped many sex abuse victims recover damages for their sex abuse injuries in Lake County, DuPage County, Cook County, Will County, and elsewhere in Illinois and the United States.

Attorney has represented more than 100 sex abuse victims who were raped or molested by trusted adults and has counseled hundreds of sex abuse victims. Attorney Klest would be happy to offer you a free consultation to discuss your case so you can explore your legal options.

Sex Abuse by "Authority Figures" and Institutions

Teachers, coaches, counselors, and daycare workers are entrusted with the care, mentoring, or education of children. Their responsibilities essentially place them in a figure of authority over children, who are supposed to obey these authority figures while under their care.

When an athletic coach, teacher, tutor, camp counselor, school counselor, or childcare professional violates that trust by sexually abusing a boy or girl, the physical, emotional, and psychological injuries sustained by the abuse victim can last a lifetime.

Child sex abuse is a form of sexual assault and is a crime. A teacher, counselor, or coach that rapes, sodomizes, inappropriately touches, or sexually hugs or kisses a child is abusing his or her power as an authority figure and violating that child's rights. Chicago Attorney Klest can evaluate your case for you and determine whether you have grounds to file a lawsuit against the perpetrator and any other liable parties.

Mr. Klest knows how to properly investigate your sex abuse case and determine if a school, daycare center, summer camp, day camp, church, or another institution or organization acted negligently by not taking the proper measures to make sure that sexual contact between students and their teachers, coaches, or counselors would not take place. An institution or organization that fails to protect a child from abuse can be named as a defendant in a child sex abuse lawsuit.

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Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Sexual Abuse

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For more than 15 years, Chicago Sex Abuse Attorney Joseph Klest has represented clients that were sexually abused by priests or other clergy members. In 1991, he handled the first clergy child sex abuse lawsuit against a clergy member of the Catholic Church. Since then, he has represented over 100 sex abuse victims who have sought damages for their abuse injuries.

Attorney Klest is a Chicago personal injury attorney who is nationally recognized for his work in helping clergy sex abuse victims recover compensation for their sex abuse injuries caused by Roman Catholic priests and bishops, including clergy members from the different dioceses in Cook County, Lake County, Will County, and DuPage County, such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford, the Diocese Of Joliet, and the Diocese of Peoria.

Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Against Clergy and Church

If you or your child was molested or raped by a priest, bishop, or another member of the Catholic Church, you are entitled to compensation for injuries, pain, and suffering. Not only can you sue the perpetrator for the damages sustained from the sexual abuse, but you may also be able to sue the diocese or church where the abuse took place if the institution acted negligently or failed to act at all to prevent the abuse.

Church members often view clergy members as authority figures who are representatives of God. It is not uncommon for parents to automatically believe that priests, bishops, and archbishops are trustworthy and allow them to spend time alone with their children.

The number of known cases of boys and girls abused by clergy in the United States is in the thousands. Many of these children were sexually abused multiple times by a priest who had access to them on a regular basis. There are countless of other cases that have gone reported.

In many cases, evidence shows that the Catholic Church knew about the abuse but did nothing to prevent the clergy members from abusing more victims. Some priests were merely relocated to different dioceses, after reports of abuse surfaced, where they would abuse more innocent boys or girls.

Institutions and organizations have a legal obligation to make sure that the people that work for or represent them do not sexually abuse or assault anyone. Failure to do so is considered negligence and the organization or institution can be held liable when a representative or employee sexually assaults an adult or child.

Continue reading " Sexual Abuse By Clergy " »

Posted by Joseph G. Klest | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Sexual Abuse

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