Rights of Sex Abuse Victims
I was sexually abused for five years by my step-father, staring when I was 5 years old. I am 18 years old now. Can I sue him for what he did to me?
Yes. Under Tennessee law sexual abuse is the tort of battery and the tort of outrageous conduct. However, you must file suit before your 19th birthday if you want to seek damages for what happened when you were under the age of 18. The failure to file suit by your 19th birthday will likely result in a loss of rights for all that happened before you turned 18. Talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer to gain an understanding of whether there are any exceptions in the law that may give you more time to take legal action.
We have represented people who have been victims of sexual abuse. The cases are very sad, but we have found professional satisfaction helping our clients and imposing financial responsibility on the perpetrators of these horrible crimes. One challenging factor in these cases is collecting money from the perpetrator – homeowner’s insurance will not cover this type of act. However, we have been successful identifying assets from which to obtain a settlement in this type of case.
