If you or a loved one suffered abuse at the hands of a member of your clergy or religious organization, you are not alone. You can work with the team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to establish a legal case and seek justice for your losses. A Utah clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help you determine what compensation you may have a right to. You should not have to suffer further from the harm someone else caused you.
To start discussing your case, you can reach out to the team with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 219-9622.
Working with a Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyer
The team with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you avoid coming into contact with the party liable for your losses, no matter how you choose to take legal action against that party. For example, if you choose to try and pursue compensation outside of the courtroom, a clergy sexual abuse lawyer can negotiate your settlement for you, managing communications between applicable parties all the while.
It may be the case, too, that the party liable for your damages chooses to reach out to you with a settlement before you can take legal action. In these cases, you can still rely on a clergy sexual abuse lawyer to manage negotiations. First, you can determine whether or not the offered settlement attends to all of your needs. If it does not, the attorney you work with can help you calculate what your compensation could look like if a settlement addressed all of your potential avenues for compensation. Then, with that number in mind, an attorney can approach the liable party and, as before, negotiate on your behalf.
There are cases, however, in which the liable party will refuse to acknowledge their potential responsibility for your losses. In these cases, you can work with a clergy sexual abuse lawyer to form a complaint. In this complaint, you can detail:
- The identity of the party you wish to hold responsible for your losses
- The evidence that the clergy member is at fault
- The compensation to which you believe you may be entitled
- The calculations that led you to the aforementioned estimate
Understanding Your Case
Your case will have features that distinguish it from others like it, meaning that you will need to bring forward evidence of your mistreatment should you wish to take the case to court.
Do note, though, that there is no reason for you to have to try and determine what constitutes viable evidence in your case on your own. Instead, you can choose to work with a clergy sexual abuse lawyer as well as an investigator to gather evidence.
With that evidence at hand, you can then begin to calculate your compensation based on your specific losses. Your avenues for compensation can include but are not always limited to:
- The medical expenses needed to recover before you filed a complaint
- The medical expenses you may incur seeking treatment in the future
- Medical aids, prescriptions, and other supports needed to restore your previous quality of life
- The cost of pregnancy and birth, if necessary
- Physical therapy
- Psychological counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
Some of these avenues are non-economic, meaning that they do not come with a dollar value. You can discuss these losses with a lawyer to determine what matter of compensation they may translate to in a courtroom.
You should also note that a court may choose to apply punitive charges to your cases. These charges require the liable party to pay forward a fine based on the gross violation of state legislation. This type of compensation is meant to punish the defendant and prevent others from committing an act similar to theirs.
Operating on Contingency
If you developed post-traumatic stress disorder following sexual abuse, then you might struggle with going to work, which will no doubt affect your finances. If this is the case, you might be worried about the cost of hiring a lawyer and seeking compensation.
The team with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm understands that there are myths surrounding legal services in this regard. As such, our firm works on a contingency fee basis. When a firm opts to work on contingency, anyone seeking out legal aid after a circumstance involving sexual abuse can benefit from legal aid and representation in court without receiving a bill for those services. A bill will only come if a court decides that you can receive compensation for your losses.
Should you receive that compensation, you can still rest without worrying about your savings. Firms that operate on contingency can accept a percentage of your settlement instead of requesting payment out of your pocket, as affirmed by the American Bar Association.
A Utah Clergy Sexual Abuse Lawyer Can Help You Understand Your Case
Recovering from sexual abuse is challenging on its own. When such a case involves a member of a community you believed you could trust, the challenge may seem insurmountable. The team with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm recognizes how these cases can turn your world on its head.
As such, a Utah clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help you navigate life after such a case by seeking out justice on your behalf. Together, you can better understand what compensation to which you may be entitled and what action you can take against the party you wish to hold liable for your losses.
The team with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can speak with you as soon as you feel ready. To start building your case, you can reach out at (800) 219-9622.