Sexual Abuse Questions & Answers
Straight answers to what people ask most. These hold wherever you were hurt — for the deadlines and rules that depend on your state, choose your state below.
Do I Need a Police Report or Conviction?
No. This is one of the most common concerns survivors have, and the answer is reassuring: a civil claim is entirely separate from the criminal justice system. You do not need to have filed a police report, and you do not need charges or a conviction, to pursue a civil claim.
Read the answer →Is It Too Late to Bring a Claim?
Please do not assume it is. One of the most important things for survivors to know is that the usual injury deadlines often do not apply here. Recognizing that survivors — especially of childhood abuse — may not come forward for many years, the law provides longer deadlines, and in some situations extended or even revived windows for claims that had closed.
Read the answer →How Much Does It Cost?
Nothing to start. The initial conversation is free and completely confidential, so you can understand your options without any cost or obligation. Cost should never stand between you and the information you deserve.
Read the answer →Questions about the law in your state?
Filing deadlines, fault rules, and limits on damages differ by state. Choose where you were hurt for answers under that state's law.
General information, not legal advice. Every situation is different, and the law differs by state.