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Hillcrest Juvenile Hall Lawsuit Attorney


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As a former inmate who was sexually abused at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, you have the right to sue your abuser and the agency in charge of the facility for monetary damages, like pain and suffering and mental anguish. The child sexual abuse lawyers of DTLA can help you file a claim and fight to bring you maximum payment from a juvenile hall sexual misconduct lawsuit.

Hillcrest Juvenile Hall was closed in 2005 when it was replaced by the Youth Services Center. The closure was in response to how crowded, unsafe, and outdated the facility had become over the years. While the focus was on lack of services that addressed the needs of children, such problems hide a much bigger issue – physical and sexual abuse of inmates by staff members and administrators.

Sexual grooming, solicitation, and child molestation occur on a frequent basis in juvenile halls throughout California, and thankfully, many of these places were shut down in the past 20 years. But closing a facility doesn’t erase the trauma that was caused by sexual abuse due to years of negligence and misconduct. That’s why we are tireless in our commitment to those who were assaulted or abused at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall.

If you would like to explore the option of filing a lawsuit against Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, please schedule a free case evaluation by contacting our office. Our sole mission is to represent your interest and ensure that the juvenile justice system’s failure to protect you does not go unpunished.

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Your Right to Sue Hillcrest Juvenile Hall for Sexual Abuse

As we stated before, you have the right to file a lawsuit for sexual abuse that occurred while you were incarcerated at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall. Even if you didn’t say no, you are a victim of sexual abuse if the perpetrator was an adult and you were younger than 18 at the time. Of course, there are victims who are forced into a sex act, but many inmates are groomed over an extended period of time by someone that took advantage of their fear, confusion, and loneliness.

You have the right sue the person that sexually abused you, but there is a bigger entity that can be blamed whenever inmates are mistreated at a juvenile detention facility. As you are probably aware, Hillcrest Juvenile Hall is operated by the San Mateo County Probation Department. That means officials at the county level are ultimately responsible when there are accusations of sexual abuse by a juvenile hall staff member.

Sadly, poor leadership and management leads to cases slipping through the cracks or being ignored altogether. If there is an investigation and evidence to support the allegations is uncovered, it somehow ends up being lost of destroyed. Some of our clients pushed back against the excuses and demanded justice, only to be threatened by facility administrators. We can certainly understand why these victims backed down; when you are incarcerated for months – maybe even years – the prospect of physical retaliation or time added on to your sentence is devastating, so it makes sense that the withdrew the complaint.

For many years, Hillcrest Juvenile Hall failed in its commitment to youth offenders until it was finally closed in 2005. But the long list of victims in its wake should not be denied justice for the harm they suffered. If you are one of the inmates who was sexually abused at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, call us to learn about the process of suing the San Mateo County Probation Department.

Class Action Lawsuit for Sexual Abuse at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall

Our attorneys are ready to help you join a Hillcrest Juvenile Hall sexual abuse class action lawsuit, so please contact us at our law firm. Filing a lawsuit with many others who were abused is a popular option when it comes to suing a juvenile hall. However, class action claims are extremely complicated legal actions, so it’s best to seek help from an experienced child sexual abuse lawyer.

A class action lawsuit is suitable for the majority of victims who were sexually abused at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall. On the other hand, some cases have exceptional circumstances that merit a lawsuit on their own, so you should discuss both of these options with an attorney to decide which course of action if right for you.

Suing Hillcrest Juvenile Hall – What is the Deadline for a Lawsuit?

The statute of limitations for a Hillcrest Juvenile Hall sexual abuse claim is 22 years after you are the age of majority, which is 18 in the state of California. That means you are allowed to sue for childhood sexual assault and harassment up until the age of 40. But this not a firm deadline for those who were abused as minors, since you also have 5 years to file a lawsuit, starting from the realization of a sexual abuse-related injury.

The discovery rule usually applies in personal injury cases, like slip and falls and auto accidents, where the victim may have multiple injuries. But some of these injuries take months – sometimes years – before they are fully apparent and diagnosed by a medical professional. That same principle applies to psychological damage from sexual abuse at a juvenile hall due to the victim’s natural tendency to repress these memories. When there is severe emotional trauma during childhood, it can take the victim decades to talk about what happened and figure out how these events are the source of their current suffering.

Realizing the negative impact of sexual abuse on your life can happen at any age, which is why 22 years from your 18th birthday may not be the cut off point for a juvenile inmate sexual assault lawsuit. To see if you still have time to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, please give us a call.

Average Value of Hillcrest Juvenile Hall Sexual Abuse Case

The average case value of a Hillcrest Juvenile Hall sex abuse lawsuit is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, though settlements can fall below or above this range based on numerous factors. Though it’s not an absolute rule, lawsuits for sexual assault tend to have higher values than cases for sexual harassment. The types of injuries you’ve sustained also affect how much you can receive from a lawsuit, along with negligence by the people that owed you a duty of care.

As a victim of sexual assault at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, your settlement from a lawsuit may be anywhere from $2,000,000 to $10,000,000. If the abuse you suffered was more along the lines of solicitation and harassment, the amount of compensation may be under $1,000,000.

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How Long will It Take to Settle My Case?

Based on decades of representing child abuse victims, we would say that it takes 1 to 2 years on average to settle a sexual abuse claim against Hillcrest Juvenile Hall. You may have heard of people who were able to obtain compensation in just a few months, and yes, this is a possibility. However, most cases are not resolved that quickly due to the complications of suing a county government. Even if San Mateo County is willing to negotiate with us, agreeing on a settlement amount can take 12 to 18 months.

If it’s clear that the other side is unwilling to make a fair settlement offer, we may have to prepare for a trial. There’s still a chance that your case will be settled before the trial date, but if it isn’t, it can take over 3 years to receive compensation from a juvenile detention center inmate abuse lawsuit.

Contact DTLA Law Group

Legal representation is essential to understanding your rights and obtaining compensation from a lawsuit against Hillcrest Juvenile Hall. That’s why we urge you to speak with one of our attorneys as soon as possible.

You may have concerns about how much it will cost you to hire a lawyer, which is why we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee. At our law firm, clients never pay out of pocket for the cost of legal fees. This is included in your settlement award from San Mateo County, which means winning your lawsuit is the only way we get paid.

Our legal team is waiting to assist you, so contact our office to discuss the options of suing Hillcrest Juvenile Hall for child sexual abuse.


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