Educational institutions are expected to maintain a safe environment for every student. When sexual abuse occurs within a school environment, it may indicate lapses in oversight or protective measures that make the school accountable.
Arias Sanguinetti represents survivors of school sexual abuse, holding institutions and individual abusers accountable for their actions. Our Culver City school sexual abuse lawyers provide confidential and compassionate legal support to survivors, pursuing justice and meaningful compensation.
Contact Arias Sanguinetti for a free consultation. Our Culver City sexual abuse lawyers do everything in our power to protect survivor and their families.
Holding Abusers and Institutions Accountable in School Sexual Abuse Cases
Schools can be held liable when they fail to meet their duty to protect students. Institutional negligence may involve breakdowns in policy or oversight that compromise student safety and allow abuse to occur.
Examples of institutional negligence include:
- Abuse by teachers or staff members: Failing to properly vet employees through background checks can result in hiring individuals with histories of misconduct.
- Coaches or extracurricular supervisors: Lack of supervision during activities can create opportunities for abuse.
- Student–on–student abuse: Ignoring or failing to address reports of bullying or inappropriate behavior allows harm to escalate.
- Negligent administration: Failure to enforce policies such as mandatory reporting procedures, staff training, or safety protocols.
Our team of Culver City personal injury lawyers analyzes hiring records, training programs, and institutional practices to demonstrate how a school’s negligence contributed to sexual abuse.
Statute of Limitations for School Sexual Abuse Cases
Legal timelines for filing school sexual abuse lawsuits vary depending on the survivor’s age at the time of the abuse and when it occurred. Both minor and adult survivors have specific laws that determine how long they have to take legal action.
Child Sexual Abuse Survivors
- Incidents on or before December 31, 2023: Survivors who were under 18 at the time of the abuse can file a lawsuit against the responsible parties until their 40th birthday or within five years of discovering that the abuse caused psychological harm in adulthood. This timeline is outlined under Assembly Bill 218, which amended California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1.
- Incidents on or after January 1, 2024: For childhood sexual abuse that takes place on or after this date, Assembly Bill 452 eliminates the statute of limitations entirely. Survivors of school sexual abuse that occurred during childhood will have no deadline to file claims for these incidents.
Adult Sexual Abuse Survivors
- Standard rule: Survivors who were 18 or older at the time of the abuse can file a lawsuit within 10 years of the assault or within three years of discovering that the abuse caused psychological harm, under California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.16.
- Assembly Bill 2777 Lookback Window: Adult survivors of school sexual abuse that occurred on or after January 1, 2009, may file lawsuits under a temporary revival window that runs from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2026. This lookback window allows for claims even if the standard statute of limitations has already expired.
- Assembly Bill 250 Revival Window: Beginning January 1, 2026, adult survivors have a two-year window (ending December 31, 2027) to file lawsuits for assaults regardless of when they occurred. This law applies only to private schools and individuals, including cases where the institution covered up prior complaints against the perpetrator. Public entities are excluded.
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Damages Our Culver City School Sexual Abuse Attorneys Pursue
Financial compensation can help survivors access the treatment they need to begin recovering from the harm they suffered and the challenges they continue to face.
Our team of Culver City school sexual abuse lawyers at Arias Sanguinetti works to hold individuals and institutions accountable and recover various damages, including:
- Punitive damages: We pursue punitive damages to punish egregious misconduct by perpetrators or negligent institutions. These damages also serve to deter similar behavior in the future.
- Medical costs: Survivors may receive reimbursement for past medical bills, including the cost of therapy and counseling services. Awards may also include the expense of ongoing therapy needed to address the long-term effects of the abuse.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation is available for the pain and suffering survivors experienced and continue to endure. This includes emotional distress, trauma, and mental anguish caused by the abuse.
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity: Survivors may recover financial compensation for lost wages if the abuse affected their ability to work or led to disruptions in their career.
- Physical and psychological conditions: Survivors may qualify for damages for ongoing conditions, such as CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome) or other physical or psychological ailments resulting from the abuse.
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Why Choose Our Culver City School Sexual Abuse Lawyers
The attorneys at Arias Sanguinetti have a history of holding institutions accountable for negligence and achieving justice for survivors.
We have particularly helped survivors of school sexual abuse through legal milestones that apply to children, schools, and universities by:
- Providing political and legal advocacy for survivors: Our firm is committed to improving the legal landscape for survivors. We believe that state and federal laws should protect those harmed by negligence, and we actively work in local, state, and national politics to expand methods of recovery and strengthen legal protections for survivors.
- Opening a new statute of limitations for sexual assault survivors: Arias Sanguinetti’s work in the USC Tyndall case contributed to important procedural changes that increased access to the courts for survivors and strengthened pathways for recovery across California.
- Obtaining a record–setting $828 million settlement for survivors of sexual abuse: Our team of attorneys obtained a historic $828 million case result for 414 survivors of sexual abuse in Los Angeles County’s juvenile detention and foster care systems. This case stands as the largest per-survivor recovery in U.S. history, with an average of $2 million per individual.
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Call Arias Sanguinetti if You or Your Child Suffered School Sexual Abuse
Survivors of school sexual abuse deserve to be heard, supported, and empowered to seek justice. At Arias Sanguinetti, our team of attorneys possesses the resources and trial-ready experience to represent you and seek the justice, accountability, and results you or your child deserves.
Contact us for a confidential, free consultation.
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