Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Child at Orange County Library
Christopher Eduard, a 53-year-old man from Los Angeles, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl at a public library in Orange County. The incident occurred on the evening of March 21, 2023 at the Heritage Park Regional Branch library, which is located at 14361 Yale Avenue in Irvine.
According to police, the suspect approached the girl while she was in the children’s section of the library (the girl was at the library with her mother). The suspect engaged the victim by asking her to help him film a video; he gave her his cellphone and held up cue cards for the child to read out loud. The suspect exposed himself and assaulted the child at during this.
After accessing surveillance video of the area, police were able to identify a vehicle associated with the suspect; the suspect was then arrested at his Los Angeles home on March 24, 2023. During the search warrant, police was able to find evidence connecting him to the crime, according to police.
Authorities believe that the suspect might be connected to other incidents. Victims are urged to contact the authorities.
Our Lawyers Can Help You
If your child was sexually assaulted, our lawyers can help you file a claim and even recover monetary compensation. Here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group, our lawyers have decades of experience handling all sorts of injury claims, including child sexual assault claims. We are committed to fighting for the rights of victims and their families – and ensuring that all liable parties and entities are held accountable for all harm suffered.
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About Child Sex Assault and Resulting Harm
Child sex abuse consists of any sort of sexual contact with a minor. This can include the following:
- Rape
- Attempted rape
- Groping, grabbing, massaging, etc.
- Exposing oneself to a child
- Masturbating in front of a child
- Forcing a child to masturbate
- Forcing a child to touch the perpetrators genitals or body
- Using sexual language with the child (inappropriate conversations or comments)
Again, any type of sexual contact with a child is considered child sex abuse – because a child can never consent.
Child sex abuse can have devastating consequences. Physical consequences can include injuries to genitals, injuries to reproductive organs, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, fractures, lacerations, scrapes, bruises, etc. In addition to physical harm, victims could be left suffering with significant mental and emotional harm, including but not limited to post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, fear, depression, etc.
No matter the specific harm that your child suffered as a result of the child sex abuse, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible as you could have the right to file a claim.
Who is Liable for Child Sex Assault at a Public Library?
When it comes to sexual assault, there are many things that property owners can do to keep their premises safe and reduce the risk of incidents. Specifically, they could ensure that there is adequate surveillance, on-site security, no isolated areas, no poorly lit areas, enforcement of policies (like, all children must be with a parent at all times), procedures in place to respond to incidents, etc. Anyone can access public libraries, so it is essential that library staff remains vigilant to ensure that no guest represents a danger to other guests. Some might argue that entities are not responsible for the intentional actions of guests on their premises; however, it is important to note that property owners have the duty to keep all their guests safe from dangers on their premises, including those presented by others on the property.
What does this mean? If your child was sexually assaulted at a public library, then you could have grounds to sue the county for the harm that your child suffered. For more information about your right to sue, do not hesitate to contact the child sex abuse lawyers here at our firm today.
Compensation for Child Sex Abuse Cases
Based on the details surrounding the incident, victims and their families could be awarded compensation for the following:
- All medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Treble damages (in cases of cover ups)
- Legal fees
For more information about the specific value of your child sex abuse case, it is important that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. Here at our firm, our experts are ready to evaluate your claim and help you determine the possible value of your claim. When you allow our team to handle your claim, you can trust that our team will fight for your right to recover the highest settlement available for your claim.
Contact the Downtown L.A. Law Group Today
Here at our firm, our lawyers are ready to handle your child sex assault claim and help you recover the payout that you are owed. Whether you are suing a government entity like a city agency or a county agency or a private entity, our experts are ready to guide you every step of the way and help you recover the payout that you are owed. We are proud to offer free legal services, which include both free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our lawyers will be available to answer absolutely all your questions and address all your concerns. No matter whether you are looking to begin your claim or continue your claim after starting it elsewhere, our team is ready to guide you every step of the way. To benefit from our free legal services, contact us today.
Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. In addition, we work on a strict contingency structure, meaning that our clients will not be required to pay anything until after winning their claims. If you do not win, you simply will not have to pay anything.
To speak with our child sex assault attorneys, contact our law firm today. Our team is ready to help you every step of the way.
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