Attorney for Sexual Assault in San Diego County Schools

Children and adults alike in San Diego County schools and institutions of higher education can face sexual assault, sexual abuse, and other forms of sexual violence. While Title IX is intended to protect against forms of sexual discrimination and sexual assault in educational spaces, it is often a law that addresses sexual violence after the fact, and it often leaves survivors without sufficient recourse. It is essential for you to know that when a sexual assault has occurred in a school, it may be possible to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator or against the party whose negligence made the assault possible.

While a civil lawsuit cannot result in criminal consequences, it can result in the wrongdoer being held financially accountable, and it can give you a path forward toward healing. An experienced attorney for sexual assault in San Diego County schools can help.

Sexual assault is a term that is often used to describe various types of sex crimes or forms of sexual abuse. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, sexual assault can mean “any nonconsensual sexual act prohibited by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks the capacity to consent.”

There are federal and California state laws that criminalize sexual assault in a wide capacity, including rape, oral copulation, incest, fondling, statutory rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault and battery, and domestic violence. Sexual assault can occur anywhere, including in San Diego County places of worship.

Sexual assaults are perpetrated far too often in San Diego Schools, including K-12 schools and universities or colleges. According to the National Education Association, thousands of sexual assaults are perpetrated by students each year in schools, and that number does not include the sexual assault perpetrated or enabled by figures in authority positions, such as principals and presidents, instructors, and coaches.

Perpetrators, as well as parties in control of schools and universities, can be liable for sexual assaults in educational locations. Examples of parties who might be liable in a school sexual assault case include but are not limited to:

• Principal;
• Teacher;
• Faculty member;
• University president;
• Dean;
• Coach;
• Student; or
• Any other employee (or contractor) of the school or the school district

California law recently changed to expand the statute of limitations for many sexual assault cases. Depending upon the age of the survivor at the time of the assault and the date on which the sexual assault occurred, it may still be possible to file a sexual assault claim for a crime that occurred more than a decade ago. For more recent assaults, survivors may have many years to come forward and file a civil lawsuit. To understand your options and how the California statute of limitations impacts your case, you should get in touch with a sexual assault lawyer in San Diego County as soon as possible.

If your child was sexually assaulted at a K-12 school or at a college or university in San Diego County, or if you are a survivor of sexual assault at one of these places, you could be eligible to file a lawsuit. Contact one of the San Diego County sexual assault lawyers at the Walton Law Firm as soon as possible for more information.