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i recently represented a young girl who
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was sexually abused by
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her high school coach the school was
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part of the archdiocese she’s
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a very bright and kind young girl
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but she came to us in a in an intense
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state of shame and
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fear and that was because not only was
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she violated by someone she trusted
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that person was enabled by an
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institution
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that she had trusted her whole life so
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the trauma she went through
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was deep it was complex and it was truly
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life-altering
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this case not unlike all
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sexual abuse cases came down to
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notice in other words what the
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institution knew about this
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this perpetrator before our client was
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ever harmed
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and in this case through interviews and
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discovery and depositions
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we were able to get some very very
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key documents and uh
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testimony that established that this
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school
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knew they had a a predator working
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at their at their school and did not
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do anywhere close to enough to
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meaningfully investigate him
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and had they looked into
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credible complaints that had come to
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them over the years our client would
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have never been harmed
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so over time through as the case went on
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we had so many documents incredible
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testimony
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establishing this this notice
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that our case for liability became
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very hard to to dispute it was clear to
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me that
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my client needed
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accountability in different forms we all
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know that the primary purpose
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of a civil lawsuit is monetary
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compensation
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but it’s important to look into all the
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additional ways
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an institution can be held accountable
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that can be done through
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an apology changes in policies and
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procedures
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changes in training in my case
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it became clear to me that my client
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needed an apology
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it was important to her and it was it
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was very valuable to her and not just to
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her her whole family
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so we made that an essential term to
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resolve the case
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our client eventually got a an apology
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in person
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from a senior priest with the
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archdiocese
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i like to think that was a really
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powerful additional term
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that put her on the path to moving
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forward with her life