Great Falls Sexual Assault Victim Attorneys

Yes. Civil and criminal actions are completely independent proceedings. Civil cases require only preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not, ~51%), compared to the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt (~99%). Many successful civil judgments involve situations where no criminal charges were brought, where charges were declined by prosecutors, or where defendants were criminally acquitted. The O.J. Simpson case is the most widely known example of civil liability despite criminal acquittal.

Absolutely. Attorney-client privilege protects all communications. We can file your lawsuit under a pseudonym (e.g., 'Jane Doe' or 'John Doe') in jurisdictions that permit pseudonymous filing under protective orders. Many institutional defendants prefer confidential settlement agreements. All documents can be filed under seal where permitted by court rules.

Many states have enacted revival statutes or lookback windows that temporarily reopen the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. California's AB 218 (effective 2020, amending CCP §340.1) created a three-year lookback window for previously time-barred claims and extended the general limitation to age 40 or 5 years from discovery of the causal connection. Similar revival legislation exists in New York (Child Victims Act), New Jersey, and other states. The delayed discovery rule may also toll the limitation period until the survivor connects their injuries to the abuse.

Institutions liable under various legal theories include: employers (respondeat superior, negligent hiring/retention/supervision), schools and universities (Title IX deliberate indifference, state tort claims), religious organizations (negligent supervision, fiduciary duty breach, fraudulent concealment), healthcare facilities (negligent credentialing, HIPAA violations), property owners (premises liability/negligent security), and foster care agencies (governmental immunity exceptions). We identify every institutional failure that enabled or concealed the abuse.

Economic damages include therapy and counseling costs (often lifetime EMDR, CPT, or psychodynamic treatment), medical expenses, lost wages and earning capacity (quantified by forensic vocational experts), and out-of-pocket expenses. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life (hedonic damages), and loss of consortium. In cases involving institutional cover-ups, spoliation of evidence, or deliberate concealment, exemplary (punitive) damages are available in most jurisdictions to punish the wrongdoer and deter future institutional complicity.

We believe survivors. Our attorneys are trained in trauma-informed interview techniques, including cognitive interviewing protocols designed to support accurate recall without re-traumatization. We understand the neurobiology of trauma — including tonic immobility, dissociative amnesia, and fragmented memory formation — and how these normal trauma responses are often mischaracterized by defense counsel. Your experience is valid, and your voice matters.