Santa Maria Juvenile Court Lawsuit Lawyer

Yes, you can file a lawsuit against Santa Maria Juvenile Court for neglect or unlawful conduct that resulted in or contributed to the abuse you suffered. In actuality, you are suing Santa Barbara County, since Santa Maria Juvenile Court is part of the county’s superior court system.

As you have probably guessed, these courthouses are best known for dealing with youth offenders, including those with traffic violations. But they also make decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children that may need to be removed from their home, i.e., foster care. They also review cases for juveniles that may need to be transferred to adult prisons due to their age.

While the court is supposed to help children, any system that’s based on spending time with minors is bound to attract child abusers. This includes child molesters that prey on weaknesses within the system, like inadequate supervision, lax hiring practices, and slap-on-the-wrist consequences for abusive staff members. Alternatively, wards of the court may be sexually abused in residential group homes or foster care homes, and this is another area where the Santa Maria Juvenile Court may be responsible.

While each lawsuit is unique, there is a common thread of neglect that runs through all the cases we have handled over the years. Investigating what happened to you, gathering the needed evidence, and ensuring that justice is served are not difficult actions to accomplish without help from a juvenile court sexual abuse attorney. For assistance from a member of our legal team, contact the offices of DTLA Law Group.

Yes, you have the option of joining a lawsuit with former and current juveniles who were abused due to negligence by the Santa Maria Juvenile Court system. Whether you were an inmate or a ward of the court, there’s no denying that juvenile justice officials play a vital role in keeping children safe from predatory adults. That’s why the court’s failure to take reasonable care for your protection is grounds for a class action lawsuit.

Being a member of a class action lawsuit has many advantages for sexual abuse victims, which we can talk about during a free consultation. Just give us a call and talk to a class action lawyer that can sue for child sexual assault or exploitation.

Average case values for a juvenile court sexual abuse claim are usually between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, though we have had plenty of cases that were settled for lower or higher amounts. As a general rule, lawsuits for sexual assault are worth $2,000,000 and above, while cases of sexual harassment often settle for less than $1,500,000. However, you can pretty much count on 6 to 7 figure payments for cases of child sexual abuse, with the most extreme cases resulting in 8-figure awards ($10,000,000 to $15,000,000).

These amounts are solely estimates, so if you would like to learn the value of your own Santa Maria Juvenile Court sexual abuse lawsuit, please contact our office.

Some of these lawsuits will be resolved within the first few months, but overall, we would say that 1 to 2 years is a realistic amount of time to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit against Santa Maria Juvenile Court. Longer timelines are inevitable when you are suing a government entity, as they have additional protections that add complications to the legal process. Rest assured that we have decades of experience with government claims at the city, county, and state level, so we are confident in our ability to bring you the highest possible settlement. Having said that, only a handful of these lawsuits are settled in under 6 months.

Upon learning the details of your case, we can provide you with a better estimate of how long it may take to settle your claim for sexual abuse. Contact our law firm and schedule a free case review with a Santa Maria Juvenile Court sexual abuse lawyer.

The deadline to sue Santa Maria Juvenile Court for sexual abuse is based on whether you were legally an adult or a minor when the assault or abuse incident occurred. So, if you were 18 years of age or older, you must file a sexual abuse lawsuit within 10 years. As a child victim, your time limit to sue is 22 years from the age of consent / adulthood, so you’ll need to file a lawsuit against the County by your 40^th birthday.

However, you may not be restricted to an age limit when it comes to suing for sexual abuse that occurred during your childhood. The courts also have a discovery rule, where the deadline is based on whenever you realize an emotional or physical injury from child sexual abuse. This rule is in recognition of minors that have repressed memories of being sexually assaulted, trafficked, groomed, etc. as a defense mechanism. It can take several decades before the extent of their emotional suffering causes them to go to a therapist. This is how many victims discover the impact of what they endured as a juvenile inmate or foster care child.

Starting from the date of discovery, you are allowed 5 years to go ahead with a lawsuit against your abuser and the system that failed in their duty of care to you.

At DTLA Law Group, we have always believed that justice should not be reserved for those who can pay for it. If anything, the cost of legal services should be covered by the party that injured you, which is why we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee. That means you can hire a sexual abuse lawyer without spending a penny, since we will ask Santa Barbara County to cover our expenses. Plus, there is no cost to you whatsoever if we don’t win your lawsuit.

We hope this will provide you with the needed peace of mind to contact our law firm and schedule a free case evaluation. Our legal team looks forward to advising you of your rights and legal options.

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Inyo County Juvenile Division Sexual Abuse Lawyer
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