Sexual assault survivors often feel overwhelmed by their experience, making it a difficult decision to pursue the compensation and sense of justice they deserve. While nothing can erase the physical and emotional harm, it’s important to understand that the civil court system focuses on compensating the injury victim, while the criminal justice system’s purpose is to punish the wrongdoer. A sexual assault attorney makes recovering your compensation and holding the perpetrator financially accountable their top priority while you focus on your physical and emotional recovery. Call GreeningLaw for an attorney to handle your case with compassion and determination.
Why Select a Dallas Sexual Assault Lawyer from GreeningLaw for Your Sexual Assault Case?
The attorneys at GreeningLaw have long approached injury law with professionalism and integrity by protecting the human dignity of our clients along with their rights. By Choosing GreeningLaw, your case benefits from the following:
- Our thirty years of experience as Dallas personal injury attorneys will place our firm’s skills, resources, and in-depth understanding of both criminal and civil law behind your sexual assault case
- We handle all injury claims with compassion and sensitivity while assertively demanding the financial accountability our clients deserve
- We understand that this is a difficult time for you and your family, and we want to manage the financial aspects of your case so you can focus your energy on your healing and well-being
- Founding attorney Robert Greening is a board-certified Texas trial lawyer with a Super Lawyers rating
Let the attorneys and staff at GreeningLaw put a powerful voice behind your sexual assault claim.
What Constitutes Sexual Assault in Texas?
When sexual penetration through any method occurs to a person without their consent, it’s sexual assault under Texas law. Sadly, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) reports that one in five women experience attempted or completed rape and over 24% of men report experiencing an act of sexual violence during their lifetime. Sexual assault in Texas takes many forms, including the following:
- Using force, violence, or the threat of violence to force another person into sexual activity
- Engaging in or performing sex acts on an incapacitated person or one who hasn’t consented or isn’t aware of what’s happening
- Engaging in sexual activity with a person whose mental deficiencies make it impossible for them to understand or resist the action
- Drugging a person to cause them to submit to a sexual act that they otherwise would not by impairing their judgment
- Using a position of power to compel another person to perform a sex act
- As a medical or mental health provider, using a person’s vulnerability or dependency as a tool to persuade them into performing sex acts
- Being a member of the clergy and using the role of a spiritual leader or advisor to manipulate someone into sexual activity
- Sex acts between employees of a facility and residents of that facility
- Using a position as a teacher, coach, or tutor to force or coerce a student or player into sexual activity
- Using a position as a nurse or caregiver to force a physically or mentally vulnerable person into sexual activity
- Performing a medical procedure as a reproductive specialist during which the provider uses genetic material from someone who didn’t grant permission or if one party did not consent to the procedure
If you are uncertain if your experience constitutes sexual assault under Texas law, an attorney experienced in Dallas sexual assault cases from GreeningLaw is ready to evaluate your case during a free initial consultation.
Understanding the Standard of Evidence In Sexual Assault Claims In Civil Court
In the criminal justice system, the court cannot convict a person unless the prosecution proves their case beyond reasonable doubt. A civil claim for compensation in civil court proceeds separately and independently of the criminal charges in a sexual assault case and does not depend on a guilty verdict. In fact, in civil court, the standard of evidence is reduced to a “preponderance of the evidence.” Under this standard, the sexual assault victim must show that it’s more likely than not that the perpetrator committed sexual assault.
A sexual assault attorney in Dallas from GreeningLaw is ready to investigate all aspects of your case and make a compelling case proving through a preponderance of evidence that the perpetrator committed the sexual assault, entitling you to compensation for your damages.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Sexual Assault Case in Dallas, Texas?
Sexual assault survivors experience a range of negative outcomes from the act of dominance and power used against them. Not only do they deserve justice in the criminal court system, but they also have a right to recover compensation for the tangible and intangible losses they’ve suffered. These losses are the “damages” in a sexual assault claim in Texas. While financial compensation cannot erase the harm, it’s the civil court’s only means of redress for injury victims and helps provide them with a voice for justice. Common damages recovered in sexual assault claims include:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Therapy or counseling costs
- Lost earnings
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for mental anguish
- Compensation for emotional injuries such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
While you may or may not be able to recover compensation directly from the perpetrator of your sexual assault, often there are liable parties who neglect their duty of care by allowing the assault to occur.
Understanding Liability In Sexual Assault Cases In Dallas
When a person, public entity, or business owes a duty of care to others, they have a legal obligation to take all reasonable measures to avoid causing them harm. When they breach this duty and it causes injury, the injury victim has a right to compensation for their damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Common liable parties in sexual assault claims in Dallas include:
- Medical facilities
- Nursing homes
- Schools and teachers
- Mental health providers
- Business owners, such as those who own hotels, bars, clubs, and restaurants
- Property owners like apartment building owners
- Employers
It may be difficult to come forward against a defendant, especially when they are part of a powerful institution; however, the attorneys at GreeningLaw are ready to stand by your side and demand accountability for the harm caused to you.
Call the Sexual Assault Lawyers in Dallas at GreeningLaw
No one should have to stand alone against the perpetrator of sexual assault or a liable party who allowed the assault to occur. Instead, contact our Dallas law office, and let the experienced, compassionate attorneys from GreeningLaw put strength behind your claim and fight for the compensation you deserve.