WHY CHOOSE US?

Many survivors of sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Church clergy have stepped forward over the past decade or so. Many have told disturbing stories of abuse that occurred while they were still children.

Clergy abuse survivors often have questions about how they obtain justice and finality for what they’ve endured. Oakwood Legal Group, LLP has represented hundreds of victims of child sex abuse committed by clergy members. We understand how difficult such legal claims may be for our clients from an emotional standpoint and we take pride in counseling them through the process.

There are many ways to seek justice for clergy abuse. While victims can seek criminal charges through law enforcement, Oakwood Legal Group and its attorneys provide the ability to obtain financial compensation and closure from a civil standpoint. A civil legal action against individual clergy members and church institutions can give survivors the opportunity to investigate and shine a light on church practices that fostered clergy abuse. Survivors of clergy sexual abuse have the right to sue to recover damages and other relief from their abusers and anyone who facilitated the abuse. The time limits vary depending on how old the victim was at the time of the abuse, and California has proposed new laws to expand the time frames for pursuing claims of childhood sexual abuse.

We understand that our clients often carry the physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual scars that childhood abuse inflicts for their entire lives. A civil lawsuit for financial compensation can never heal what a client has endured. It is just one avenue that will help in obtaining some justice and some closure. As importantly, our strong clients who do come forward and enable us to file lawsuits, are also helping to prevent such atrocious events to occur in the future. Church’s are now forced to stop turning a blind eye to accusations of sexual abuse and they must abide by strict guidelines to protect children moving forward. In many instances, we are able to recover for punitive damages, which serve to “punish” behavior and deter the behavior from occurring again.

CONTACT US TO DISCUSS THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR YOUR CLAIM. IN MANY INSTANCES, EVEN ABUSE FROM DECADES AGO, MAY STILL BE FILED.

In California, survivors of clergy sexual abuse that happened when the plaintiff was over 18 must presently file a claim no later than:

• Three years from the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that an injury or illness resulted from an act, attempted act, or assault with the intent to commit an act, of sexual assault.
• 10 years from the date of the last act, attempted act, or assault with the intent to commit an act, of sexual assault; or

Survivors of clergy sexual abuse that happened when the survivor was under 18, in contrast, can pursue a claim until the later of:

• Eight years from the date the plaintiff turns 18; or
• Three years from the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that psychological injury or illness occurring after turning 18 was caused by the sexual abuse.