PALO ALTO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ATTORNEY
MICHAEL REHM - (408) 489-2007
FREE CONSULTATIONS
Childhood sexual abuse is one of the worst things someone can go through, and it will have lifelong effects on the victim. Victims often feel ashamed and alone, keeping the abuse to themselves for years. It is important to know that help is available, and you never have to be alone with this. Your abuser should be held accountable, and we can help make that happen.
Attorney Michael Rehm is an experienced childhood sexual abuse attorney who handles all his cases with compassion, patience, care, and determination. For a free and confidential consultation, contact The Law Office of Michael Rehm today at (408) 489-2007 .
Increased Statute of Limitations
The California Child Victims Act (The Act) was signed into law in January of 2020, making changes to the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors, among other things. Before The Act was implemented, survivors had to initiate a civil claim by the time they turned 26 years old. The Act increased the age to 40 years old, significantly extending the deadline by which a civil claim must be initiated. This is incredibly important, as it often takes years or decades for childhood sexual abuse survivors to come forward.
Cover-Ups
In addition to expanding and changing certain deadlines, The Act also addresses cover-ups of child sexual abuse, which is rampant in schools, churches, and other organizations. If it is determined that your abuser or the organization covered up the abuse, the liable party may be required to pay three times the amount of awarded damages. It is disheartening that this even must be addressed, but it is significant and hopefully pushes organizations to take these incidents seriously.
Child Sexual Abuse Cases in Palo Alto, CA
One example of these cases in Palo Alto is the case of The School of Rock, which is in hot water. In January 2020, a lawsuit was filed against the school, alleging that they knew about an inappropriate and unlawful sexual relationship between a teacher and a young teen and failed to act. The lawsuit also alleges that The School of Rock should have known about the teacher's “drug addiction and sexual perversion tendencies,” and could have found this information by running a simple background check.
It is also alleged that even when The School of Rock heard about the inappropriate and unlawful relationship, they did not fire the teacher; they simply told him to “keep it to the music, man.”
If the background check would have produced information suggesting that the teacher was not suitable to work with children and the other allegations are true, The School is in big trouble. Both failures would almost certainly be ruled as negligent hiring and retention and a failure to take reasonable measures to keep their students safe.
The school is also a mandated reporter, and their failure to report is particularly egregious, as this failure directly permitted the abuse to continue. The school could and should be on the hook for a significant amount of money.
Palo Alto Child Sex Abuse Attorney
It is an unfortunate reality that laws still have to be implemented to address childhood sexual abuse and cover-ups. California is one state that has done this, and it has allowed many survivors to initiate civil claims that were previously barred due to the statute of limitations. If you or someone you love is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, you may have a new opportunity to file a civil lawsuit and obtain the monetary compensation you deserve. Attorney Michael Rehm is an experienced child sex abuse lawyer who will do everything in his power to make this process as stress-free as possible. For a free and confidential consultation, contact The Law Office of Michael Rehm today at (408) 489-2007 .