We represent numerous victims sexually abused by Catholic priests and church associates. If you were abused by a member of the Catholic church, contact us today for a free consultation.
Nadrich & Cohen and its legal teams have represented numerous abuse victims over the last three decades. Our legal teams have successfully pursued abuse claims against the Catholic Church and other religious affiliations and parochial schools.
We have an expert team of attorneys to represent you. We offer a free, confidential consultation. Call us today. We are based in California, but our legal teams pursue these claims nationwide. We will not charge you a fee until and unless we win your case.
Lawsuits in Child Sexual Abuse and Clergy Abuse Cases
The number of victims of abuse by church officials, priests, deacons, and pastors is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Sexual abuse survivors are entitled to compensation for the egregious acts perpetrated on them. By suing churches and other institutions, we bring justice to those who have been hurt.
We never charge a fee for a consultation to determine whether you have a case. Additionally, our consultations are confidential. We do not discuss consultations with the church, the government, or anyone else without your permission. Clergy sexual abuse cases can also be filed anonymously, thus allowing you to retain your privacy.
We represent survivors of clergy abuse, sexual assault and child sexual abuse in all 50 states. While our firm is located in California, we have the resources necessary to actively litigate cases throughout the United States.
Types of Compensation For Clergy Sexual Abuse Victims
Many people come to our office unsure about what type of compensation may be available to them. This is completely understandable. After all, most coverage of abuse by church officials focuses on the actions of the clergy, not the recovery of the victims. In a case involving clergy sexual abuse, victims can be compensated for the following:
Pain And Suffering
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse may be able to recover financial compensation for physical pain and mental suffering with the help of a clergy sexual abuse attorney at Nadrich & Cohen.
Lost Earnings
Clergy sexual abuse claims may involve financial compensation for any wages child sexual abuse survivors are unable to earn due to their abuse. This includes any wages you have already been unable to earn as well as any wages you would have been able to earn in the future if not for your abuse.
Medical Treatment
Clergy sexual abuse survivors may be able to recover financial compensation for any medical bills associated with their abuse with the help of the clergy sexual abuse lawyers at Nadrich & Cohen. This includes any medical bills you have already incurred as well as the cost of any medical treatments you will require in the future.
Therapy
Victims of sexual predators may be able to recover financial compensation for any therapy made necessary by their abuse with the help of the clergy sexual abuse attorneys at Nadrich & Cohen. This includes any therapy you have already needed as well as any therapy you may need in the future.
Disability
Sometimes a clergy sexual abuse claim involves the abuse victim being disabled by their abuse. Those who have been disabled by the actions of clergy members may be able to recover compensation for the cost of that therapy by taking legal action with the help of Nadrich & Cohen.
Rehabilitation
You may require rehabilitation after your abuse. As part of your clergy sexual abuse case, we can help you recover financial compensation for the cost of that rehabilitation. This includes any rehab you have already needed as well as any rehab you may need in the future.
Compensation For Family Members
The family members of survivors of priest abuse also end up suffering because of the abuse. The clergy abuse lawyers at Nadrich & Cohen can help the family members of abuse victims recover compensation for their losses and suffering.
Prior Case Results
There have been prior cases against the Catholic Church which have resulted in settlements, including:
- $8 million settlement with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- $13 million settlement with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- $21.5 million settlement with Winona-Rochester Diocese
- $100 million settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, with an agreement to open their files for an independent review by a judge, and a personal apology
- $198 million settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
- $660 million settlement with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
If you or a loved has been a victim of clergy abuse, contact Nadrich & Cohen for a free and confidential consultation. We will give you a fair and honest assessment regarding the merits of your case and legal options. Again, this is 100% confidential and free of charge. Contact us now by completing the brief contact form, texting us from this page or calling us today.
Liability For Clergy Abuse In California
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of a deceased priest, it may be possible for you to hold other people liable, such as church employees, church volunteers, or the local Archdiocese or Dioceses. Members of the church who knew about your abuse or should have known about it but failed to prevent or stop it can also be held liable. If a lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen can demonstrate that a cover-up by the institution or abuser happened regarding your abuse, the money you recover in a lawsuit from the institution or abuser might be tripled. Archdioceses have been known to move abusers from one position to another to hide their abuse instead of reporting abusers to law enforcement, allowing abusers to continue to hold positions which let them abuse yet more people. It’s vital for not only abusers to be held accountable but also enablers of abuse.
The best chance you have of successfully recovering compensation and justice that you deserve is to talk with our California clergy abuse lawyers today. We will listen closely to your entire story and make sure to identify all possible liable parties. At Nadrich & Cohen, we are ready to speak with you today.
How Prevalent Is Clergy Abuse?
The most common form of clergy abuse in the news is sexual abuse at the hands of members of the Catholic church. This is because of the very large number of victims who have shared their stories and the overwhelming scope of the scandals that resulted. However, the Catholic church is not the only institution where clergy abuse has been known to happen. Clergy abuse scandals have occurred in other denominations of Christianity as well as in other religions entirely.
Members of the clergy possess positions of power. They have power over the children and adults of their faith. This allows them to manipulate people. Sometimes they manipulate people through fear. Sometimes they just exploit innocent people. According to studies, abuse, violence and sexual assault are common when authority figures are involved.
Add the large emotional pressure that comes with faith to this and you have a disaster waiting to occur. Members of the church who don’t feel fulfilled, and members who don’t feel like their church or God accepts them might end up being abused by clergy members. Predators know exactly how to find primed and insecure victims, and often pursue their victims aggressively.
It’s important for parents to realize that a great deal of the abuse that clergy members inflict is inflicted upon children. It’s relatively uncommon for adults to be abused, but it does happen. In addition, many survivors of sexual abuse as a child don’t file a lawsuit until they are an adult. Know that adults who are members of the church might harbor large amounts of fear and grief because of their experiences which happened a long time ago. Survivors like these deserve justice and compassion.
How Can Clergy Abuse Be Prevented?
Clergy members of any faith are given the responsibility of reporting all suspected cases of abuse. The statistics available regarding child sexual abuse at the hands of clergy members are not very complete since so many victims refuse to talk about their abuse.
Sexual predators usually won’t stop after only abusing a single child. Predators often abuse multiple children. It is horrible for a child to have to suffer abuse. However, when religious institutions hear about abuse and fail to take action, or cover up the abuse allowing predators to abuse more children, it makes the situation worse. The people who enable the abuse like this also become legally liable. Abusers as well as enablers of abuse must be held accountable for clergy abuse to be prevented. Cases like this require the experience and skill of clergy abuse lawyers like Nadrich & Cohen to make sure that abusers and their enablers are held accountable.
What Can Nadrich & Cohen Do For You?
Clergy abuse can involve sexual abuse, child pornography, indecent exposure, rape, molestation or sexual misconduct. Our law firm has taken on dioceses, churches, chaplains, deacons, archbishops, bishops and priests while fighting for the legal rights of survivors of clergy abuse. Our full-service law firm helps our clients by:
- Identifying any and all liable parties
- Thoroughly collecting any and all evidence of abuse at the hands of the clergy
- Building strong cases for our clients
- Pursuing financial compensation through any and all means available
- Helping you throughout the entire legal process
- Making sure your identity remains confidential, even if your case goes to court
Hiring a clergy abuse lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen can deepen your understanding of laws that your case involves. We can educate you on your rights against abusers and religious establishments. We can take action for you against all parties at-fault for your abuse. You don’t have to handle your case by yourself. We can assist you by preparing and filing your case. Call us today for a free consultation. We won’t charge any fee until and unless we recover financial compensation on your behalf. The only fee we will ever charge is a percentage of any recovery we obtain for you.
Statute of Limitations For Making A Clergy Abuse Claim In California
Most people are aware that there are limits on the time in which a civil lawsuit may be filed. However, people should be aware that the law governing the statute of limitations in clergy sex abuse cases is complicated, and has many different provisions, depending on the facts and circumstances of a specific case. Each state’s statute of limitations is different. As such, each case requires an individual analysis to determine whether the time has run.
Additionally, the laws in California and many other states are in flux. In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB 131, which would modify the current statute of limitations. However, in October of 2018, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 1619 into law. This bill gives victims of sexual abuse and childhood sexual abuse an extended timeframe for filing sexual abuse claims.
Charges Regarding Sexual Abuse In Palmdale And Redondo Beach
58-year-old former Catholic priest Christopher John Cunningham has been charged with 12 counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14. The charges involve the alleged sexual abuse of four boys in Palmdale and Redondo Beach between 1995 and 2001 while Cunningham worked at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Palmdale and St. Lawrence Martyr Catholic Church in Redondo Beach.
Call a clergy sexual abuse lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was sexually abused by Christopher John Cunningham.
The Benefit Of Making A Clergy Abuse Claim
Many people may think lawsuits are just about the money. But they are actually much more than that. A lawsuit can result in institutional changes within the church. It can expose dangerous practices, such as transferring a perpetrator from one parish to the next. It can lead to uncovering additional, ongoing abuse by identifying perpetrators and potential perpetrators. It can hold responsible and demand accountability from those in the church who maintained a code of silence, thus allowing the abuse to continue. Finally, lawsuits allow for creative solutions to meet the needs of survivors. In past lawsuits, the church has agreed to change how they investigate allegations of sexual abuse, modified their allegation review board membership, issued personal apologies, and opened their records for review.
In every sexual abuse claim filed against the church, the goal to hold the church accountable for past behavior and to protect others from falling victim to abuse in the future.
Accountability For Clergy Abuse
There are many ways that clergy abuse survivors can seek accountability for their abuse. One way is by taking legal action via the California court system. Allegations of abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church started to become widespread in the 2000s. Ever since then, survivors have been brave enough to step forward and advocate for justice and change in the church as well as outside of the church.
One powerful tool for achieving justice and change is taking legal action in civil court. In countless lawsuits across America, including lawsuits taking place in California, evidence has been revealed showing that members of the clergy repeatedly committed sexual abuse. Worse, though, is that evidence has shown that the response of the church was to cover up the abuse to protect itself. The church, time and time again, appears to have protected itself instead of protecting its victims. Much of the time, it seems like instead of making sure that credibly accused members of the clergy no longer have contact with parishoners, and instead of turning over credibly accused clergy members to law enforcement, the church instead regularly reassigns credibly accused clergy members to new locations where they abuse others.
Sexual abuse survivors are entitled to file lawsuits against their abusers, as well as against enablers of their abuse, in California, seeking financial compensation. There are time limits for filing such claims. The time limits vary based on how long ago the abuse happened and if the victim was a child when the abuse happened.
Next Steps
If you are a survivor of sexual misconduct, contact Nadrich & Cohen today for a free and confidential consultation. You will not be pressured to hire us. We are available to you to listen and to provide a free case evaluation. Contact us now by calling us today, using the live chat or completing the brief contact form on this page.
We handle represent clergy abuse survivors in the following areas, and all throughout California:
Select an Attorney with Sexual Abuse Experience
It is imperative that you choose a lawyer that has experience in priest sexual abuse cases. Our law firm and our partners have the most experience and resources to obtain the best possible outcome in an abuse case. Other lawyers don’t understand the process of litigating a case of this type – sexual abuse, but we do. We will seek justice and give you the voice you didn’t have or the voice you felt you lost.
Every childhood sexual abuse survivor should be given an opportunity to share their story once they are ready. If you make the decision to share your story with us, feel assured that we will protect and respect your privacy. We have tremendous experience working with survivors of clergy abuse and we know just how tough it is to share your story. We will assure your identity always remains confidential.
When you call Nadrich & Cohen, you will talk to a very experienced clergy abuse lawyer. We possess the ability to protect, guide and support survivors of clergy abuse as they pursue healing and justice.
When you call us, a trained advocate will speak with you confidentially, listen to you and help you with navigating the legal system.
Call us today for a free, confidential consultation.
