Catholic | Christian School Sexual Abuse

According to attorney Robert Allard, "predators work best in an environment where there are little if any rules or regulations serving to regulate their actions and those who supervise them have insufficient training. Although the sex abuse of children sadly occurs across the educational sector, I have found that the environment described above presents itself in private schools on a far more regular basis when compared to public ones.

Each public school is part of a district which is regulated by duly elected public officials who serve limited terms on school boards. Further, when entitles such as public schools receive government funding, they have to follow the Education Code for issues like the hiring, training and supervision of educators.

Public schools are also required to adhere to Title 9 federal regulations, including appointment of a Title 9 coordinator whose job duties include administering complaints for, amongst other things, abuse, discrimination and harassment. Not so with private schools as they completely regulate themselves in an autonomous fashion.

In the case of Catholic Schools, critical decisions about the creation and enforcement of rules falls squarely on the Diocese, the Bishop for whom responds only to the Pope in Rome. This lack of checks and balances is frightening. I don’t say this lightly as all four of my kids attended private Catholic schools. Thus, when incidents of sex abuse occur in private schools, it is all the more critical that we bring them to light, expose those who failed to protect children from known predators and publicly pressure administrators to implement real, transparent and rigorous protection systems."

The best way to ensure that this type of crime does not happen to someone else is to come forward and force schools to change their policies. You can come forward anonymously and make a difference. But you will not be fighting this fight alone. Our sexual abuse legal team has a long track record of successfully fighting for victims and survivors. In the process, we have received maximum compensation for our clients and forced schools to change the way they protect students and punish teachers.

If an adult intentionally and sexually touched you, then they have committed a crime. As a minor, your consent is not a defense for the adult. If you have been living with the memory and effects of another individual's crime against you, reach out and take the first step towards healing.

The legal system is designed to protect the identity of sexual abuse victims and survivors. That is the reason why your lawsuit can be filed as a "Jane Doe." We know that many sexual abuse victims and survivors want to remain anonymous for numerous reasons. We respect that and we will ensure that you case is handled in a confidential manner.

Your case is treated as an individual case. We represent you and work for what is in your best interest. Other law firms will sign up dozens or even hundreds of sexual abuse victims and then file one lawsuit on behalf of all victims. They will then settle and divide the settlement money among all victims.

We do not believe that your case should be lumped in with everyone else's case. We believe that the harm caused to you is unique and therefore any settlement should reflect the unique nature of your case.