Sexual Assault & Abuse
Legal Support & Advocacy
Empowering survivors through trauma-informed advocacy
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At Donlon Brand, we stand with survivors of sexual assault and abuse, providing compassionate, trauma-informed legal representation. Our attorneys understand the profound impact these violations have on every aspect of a survivor's life. We work tirelessly to hold perpetrators and negligent institutions accountable while supporting our clients through the legal process with dignity, respect, and unwavering commitment to justice.
What Are Sexual Assault & Abuse Cases?
Sexual assault and abuse cases involve civil legal actions seeking justice and compensation for survivors of sexual violence. While criminal proceedings focus on punishing perpetrators, civil claims address the survivor’s needs by seeking financial compensation for medical expenses, therapy costs, lost income, and pain and suffering.
These cases extend beyond holding individual perpetrators accountable—they often involve institutions that failed in their duty to protect victims or covered up abuse. Schools, religious organizations, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and other entities may bear responsibility when they neglect to implement proper safeguards, ignore reports of misconduct, or create environments where abuse flourishes.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, nearly one in five women and one in twenty-four men will experience completed or attempted sexual assault during their lifetime. For children, the statistics are equally alarming, with one in four girls and one in six boys experiencing sexual abuse before age 18.
Civil sexual assault litigation serves multiple purposes: providing survivors with resources needed for recovery, holding responsible parties accountable, and creating powerful incentives for institutions to implement meaningful changes that prevent future abuse.
Common Examples of Sexual Assault & Abuse Cases
Our firm regularly represents survivors in cases involving:
Workplace Sexual Harassment & Assault
Employees subjected to quid pro quo demands, hostile work environments, or physical assault by supervisors or colleagues.
Institutional Abuse
Survivors of abuse by clergy, teachers, coaches, medical professionals, or other authority figures whose institutions failed to protect vulnerable individuals.
Campus Sexual Assault
Students assaulted at colleges and universities that mishandled reports or failed to implement adequate security measures.
Healthcare Setting Violations
Patients sexually abused during medical examinations or while under care in hospitals, nursing homes, or treatment facilities.
Rideshare & Hospitality Assaults
Individuals attacked in hotels, Ubers/Lyfts, or other businesses that neglected basic security measures.
Child Sexual Abuse
Adult survivors seeking justice for childhood abuse after recognizing the connection between past trauma and present difficulties.
These cases require attorneys with specialized trauma training, institutional knowledge, and the resources to challenge powerful defendants while protecting survivors from retraumatization throughout the legal process.
Sexual Assault & Abuse Focus Areas
We provide specialized legal representation across all contexts of sexual violence and institutional failure:
Workplace Sexual Harassment
Our attorneys represent employees subjected to unwanted sexual advances, inappropriate comments, and hostile work environments. We address quid pro quo harassment where job benefits are conditioned on sexual favors, retaliation against those who report misconduct, and systematic tolerance of sexualized workplace cultures. Our team helps survivors navigate EEOC processes while pursuing maximum compensation.
Sexual Assault by a Co-Worker or Employer
We fight for survivors physically violated in workplace settings, holding both perpetrators and employers accountable. Our firm pursues cases involving unwanted touching, sexual battery, and workplace assaults that employers failed to prevent despite known risks. We work to expose corporate cover-ups and negligent hiring practices that enable workplace predators.
Sexual Harassment in Schools & Universities
Our team represents students whose educational institutions failed to provide safe environments or properly respond to sexual misconduct reports. We handle Title IX violations at colleges and universities, misconduct by teachers and coaches, sexual hazing in student organizations, and peer-to-peer assaults that schools inadequately addressed or ignored.
Sexual Assault by a Trusted Professional
We specialize in cases involving abuse of professional power and trust, including doctors performing inappropriate examinations, therapists exploiting vulnerable patients, religious leaders using spiritual authority to enable abuse, and personal service providers like trainers or massage therapists crossing professional boundaries.
Assault in Public or Private Spaces
Our attorneys handle cases involving assaults in hotels with inadequate security, rideshare vehicles where companies failed to properly screen drivers, entertainment venues that served alcohol to visibly intoxicated patrons who then committed assault, and rental properties where owners failed to maintain basic security measures.
Sexual Abuse in Nursing Homes & Assisted Living Facilities
We provide compassionate representation for elderly and vulnerable adults abused in care settings. Our firm addresses abuse by caregivers exploiting dependent residents and neglect that allows resident-on-resident sexual abuse. We hold facilities accountable for inadequate staffing, improper screening, and failure to implement basic protective measures.
Human Trafficking & Exploitation
Our team pursues justice for survivors of sex trafficking and forced sexual exploitation. We work to hold accountable not only direct perpetrators but also businesses that knowingly benefit from trafficking activities, online platforms facilitating exploitation, and employers using sexual coercion against vulnerable workers.
Sexual Harassment & Assault in the Military
We represent service members who experienced military sexual trauma (MST) and face institutional barriers to justice. Our attorneys address commanders who ignored assault reports, retaliation against those who report misconduct, and systematic failures in military response systems. We help survivors navigate both military and civilian legal options.
Assault by Law Enforcement & Government Officials
Our firm takes on cases involving abuse of power by police officers, detention facility staff, and government officials who exploit their authority to commit sexual misconduct. We understand the unique challenges in holding government entities accountable and the specialized legal procedures involved in these cases.
Civil Lawsuits for Sexual Assault Survivors
We guide survivors through all aspects of civil litigation, helping them understand how civil claims differ from criminal proceedings. Our attorneys explain options for holding institutions accountable beyond individual perpetrators, navigating statutes of limitations that may affect case timing, and seeking meaningful compensation for the full spectrum of harm experienced.
Need Help?
Your voice deserves to be heard. Your experience matters. Your healing journey is important.
Contact us today for a completely confidential consultation. Our trauma-informed attorneys will listen with compassion, explain your options, and help you decide on the best path forward—with no obligation or pressure.
Why Donlon Brand?
Specialized
Expertise
Thorough
Research
Proven
Results
Compassion
& Care
- Specialized Expertise
- Thorough Research
- Proven Results
- Compassionate Representation
Nick Brand
Partner
Melissa Donlon
Partner
