The California Child Victims Act (California AB 218):
- Increased the statute of limitations for childhood sexual assault by raising the age limit to file a claim from 26 to 40 or within 5 years of the date that the survivor discovers psychological injury or illness caused by the abuse.
- Opened a 3-year window (beginning January 1, 2020 and ending on December 31st, 2022) for survivors of child sexual abuse to file a claim and seek justice no matter when the abuse occurred, how old they are, or if their abuser is living or dead.
- Updated language to from “childhood sexual abuse” to “childhood sexual assault” and expanded the definition of sexual conduct in Penal Code section 311.4(d)(1).ā
Every case is different depending on the type of institution and the role of the perpetrator in that institution. If you were sexually assaulted by a priest, counselor, teacher, coach, or other adult at a youth-serving organization in California, reach out to talk about the best strategy for your case.
Paul Mones has a proven track record in represented abuse survivors for over three decades *
$19.9 million-dollar verdict
In 2010 against the Boy Scouts of America on behalf of one scout sexual abused by his scoutmaster.
$11.45 million-dollar
Jury verdict in 2007 against the Diocese of Rockville Centre on behalf of two teens sexually abused by their music minister.
$5.95 million dollar settlement
On behalf of 4 victims molested in a youth organization.
$3.25 million settlement
On behalf of a boy molested in a youth organization.
$2.8 million dollar settlement
Settlement on behalf of a student sexually abused in a California school.
$2.6 million dollar settlement
On behalf of 4 victims molested in a youth organization.
Paul Mones has been representing victims years before sexual abuse became the prominent issue it is today. He is a skilled trial lawyer who has obtained tens of millions of dollars for his clients in verdicts and settlementsĀ against a wide variety of institutions. For example, in 2010, he won a 19.8-million-dollar jury verdict against the Boy Scouts of America. This was the Ā largest verdict ever rendered against that organization. And in 2007 he and his co-counsel won an 11.45 million-dollar jury verdict against a Catholic Diocese in the New York. According to www.bishopaccountability.org the verdictĀ remains to this day the largest verdict ever rendered against a Diocese in New York and Ā one of the largest jury verdicts ever rendered against a Diocese anywhere in the United States.
Paul Mones Has Been Representing Sexual Abuse Victims For Over 3 Decades and Is Recognized as One Of The Nationās Leading Sexual Abuse Attorneys
On October 13, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218 which drastically changed the old statute of limitations, giving California victims of sexual abuse three years from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2023, to sue their abusers and the institutions in which they were employed or volunteered. The most important part of this new law is that it applies to every victim, who because of the old statute of limitations, was previously shut out from filing a lawsuit. This means that regardless of how old you are now, if as a child, you were sexually abused by a priest, minister, public school teacher, private school teacher, swimming coach, gymnastics coach, softball coach, Scoutmaster, Big Brothers Big Sisters employee or volunteer, Boys and Girls Club employee or volunteers, foster care parent or any other adult in a position of authority over you in any other youth organization or institution located in California, you can now as of January 1, 2020 file a lawsuit for money damages to receive just compensation for the injuries you have suffered.
People who have been sexually assaulted as children in institutions of trust must cope with a lifetime of psychological pain, embarrassment and heartache. These institutions have violated their duty to protect these children from the terrible harm of sexual abuse. If you (or loved one) has been sexually abused as a child, you need an attorney who has both a thorough understanding of what you have had to contend with your whole life as a victim and a proven track record to obtain fair and just compensation for victims. Paul Mones is that attorney. He is one of the few attorneys in California and nationwide whose entire law practice is 100% devoted to representing victims of sexual abuse.
California Victims Need A Lawyer
Experienced In Sexual Abuse Cases
Though this new law presents a life-changing opportunity for California sexual abuse survivors, it also poses the very real problem of selecting the right attorney ā meaning an attorney who has a solid track record in representing sexual abuse victims. Unfortunately, in the wake of the passage of AB 218, attorneys and law firms with little or no experience in representing child sexual abuse survivors are flooding the internet and airways with slick and persuasive ads seeking to represent survivors. A sexual abuse survivor seeking to retain a lawyer should first know that just because a lawyer does personal injury cases, that does not mean that attorney or law firm has any of the necessary experience, skills or knowledge required to effectively represent them in a complex sexual abuse civil lawsuit. And survivors should also know that just because an attorney can put together an attractive website or radio or television ad using the right buzz words, does not mean that the attorney or the law firm has the requisite skill and experience in representing victims of sexual abuse.
Unfortunately, the failure to select an attorney with the essential skills, experience and know-how in sexual abuse cases can have devastating consequences for victims. Most notably, an attorney inexperienced in abuse cases can potentially re-victimize the survivor, because such an attorney does typically not know the right questions to ask or even how to ask them. It takes years of experience representing victims for an attorney to understand the trauma experienced by those who have been sexually victimized as children.
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