VERMONT SEXUAL ABUSE LAWYERS

Fighting For Sex Abuse Survivors in Civil Lawsuits

Levy Konigsberg is a nationally recognized trial practice with a legacy of fighting for survivors in high stakes sexual abuse lawsuits. We’ve taken on powerful entities, public institutions, and religious organizations, and have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for clients.

Now, we’re leveraging our experience and resources to help survivors in Vermont take advantage of a groundbreaking law that eliminates the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits.

If you or someone you love were sexually abused as an adult or as a minor at any time in the past, our Vermont sexual abuse attorneys can help you take the next steps in the fight for justice.

Vermont Law Gives Child Sex Abuse Survivors New Opportunities to File Suit

Vermont has helped lead the nation in passing survivor-friendly legislation that gives those abused as minors more time to seek justice and compensation for their losses.

This includes H. 330, an historic measure passed in 2019 that completely removed the time limits for civil child sexual abuse claims and opened the door for survivors with previously time-barred claims to step forward as well.

Hailed as one of the strongest statute of limitations reforms in the country, Vermont’s law better reflects the fact that child sexual abuse survivors often take decades to process the impact abuse has had on their lives, and that strict legal deadlines have historically impeded their paths to justice. According to some research, the average age that child sexual abuse victims step forward to file civil claims is 52.

Under Vermont’s sexual abuse law:

• There is no statute of limitations for civil actions based on childhood sexual abuse, which means survivors can file lawsuits no matter how much time has elapsed since they were abused.
• The statute of limitations elimination is fully retroactive, which means that child sex abuse survivors can file lawsuits over abuse that occurred at any time in the past, including claims that were previously time-barred.
• The law allows victims to sue institutions, organizations, or companies that permitted or perpetuated child sexual abuse.

For survivors who were sexually abused as minors in schools, religious organizations, public institutions, and other youth programs, Vermont’s groundbreaking law provides important opportunities to hold at-fault parties accountable for their failures.

Levy Konigsberg has helped numerous survivors file claims under survivor-friendly legislation like H. 330. If you have questions about a potential case and whether you have grounds to file a claim, our Vermont sexual abuse lawyers are here to help.

Note for Adult Survivors: Vermont’s unlimited filing window only applies in cases where survivors were sexually abused as minors. For survivors who were abused as adults, Vermont Law generally allows for civil legal actions to be filed within six years from the date of the abuse. While this is more time than the statute of limitations that applies in many other states, it still limits the amount of time that adult survivors have to initiate legal action. As such, it’s important for adult survivors to seek legal support sooner rather than later to preserve their right to compensation.

Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Against Vermont Catholic Churches

Legal filings, public record releases, and high-profile payouts have revealed evidence of rampant sexual abuse within Vermont Catholic Churches dating back decades. As the record shows, this abuse was made possible by the Church’s inexcusable efforts to systematically conceal complaints and cover up abuse.

Now, thanks to Vermont’s recent legislative amendments, survivors who were sexually abused by priests and other members of Vermont’s 125 Catholic parishes are stepping forward in growing numbers to seek justice from the Church for its overwhelming failures to stop abusive priests and protect children.

You may have a potential claim if:

• You were abused by a priest, volunteer, or other member of the Catholic Church.
• The abuse took place in any church, school, or youth program affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, which serves all of Vermont.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating potential claims from survivors who were sexually abused by priests and other members of the Catholic Church throughout the state of Vermont. Thanks to Vermont’s new law, survivors who were abused as children at any time in the past can now pursue claims and compensation from the Catholic Church.

Learn more about Vermont Catholic Church sexual abuse lawsuits.

Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Against Vermont Juvenile Detention Centers

Levy Konigsberg has earned national recognition for our work representing former inmates who were sexually abused at jails, prisons, and juvenile detention centers across the country.

Now, we’re representing a growing number of Vermont survivors who were sexually abused while housed at a juvenile detention facility or other jail or prison. This includes:

• Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, which was Vermont’s sole youth detention facility until its closure in 2020, and which earned a checkered reputation for rampant abuse, poor conditions, and a culture that condoned maltreatment, cover-ups, and abusive acts.
• Adult jails and prisons across Vermont that were utilized by the Department of Children and Families to house youth charged with crimes or adjudicated following Woodside’s closure.
• The Sununu Youth Services Center, a facility with a damning history of staff-on-inmate sexual abuse, Chittenden Correctional, and other youth detention facilities in New Hampshire that were utilized by the Vermont DCF following the closure of Woodside.

Learn more about Vermont juvenile detention center sex abuse lawsuits.

Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Against Vermont Schools

Levy Konigsberg is actively helping survivors who were sexually abused as minors evaluate claims against public and private school systems across Vermont.

As investigations and public legal filings have shown, private schools, public schools, and boarding schools throughout the state have failed to protect students from being sexually abused by teachers and other faculty and staff. Some cases of note have involved:

• Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, a Vermont boarding school which faced dozens of allegations of abuse against students dating back decades. In September 2023, shortly after an independent investigation found that numerous allegations of physical and sexual abuse were substantiated as “credible” and “supported by evidence,” Kurn Hattin reached undisclosed settlements with nearly 30 former students who were abused.

• Vermont Public Schools and School Districts that were implicated in civil and criminal legal filings involving child sexual abuse and allegations that officials knew about abuse but failed to act. This includes the Lamoille South Supervisory Union, which settled a teacher sexual abuse lawsuit in 2016 involving former Morristown Elementary School and Peoples Academy Middle School teacher Shaun Byer, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in September 2011 for molesting two young boys, and the Franklin West Supervisory Union, which was accused of failing to stop former Georgia Elementary & Middle School teacher Matthew Toof, who was charged with sexual assault in 2021, from repeatedly raping and molesting a former student over a five-year period, beginning when she was 11 years old.

Can I Still File a Lawsuits if My Abuser Was Never Charged With a Crime?

Yes. The civil sexual abuse claims handled by our firm are separate from criminal proceedings. As matters handled in civil court, they focus solely on holding defendants liable for damages. They do not deal with the criminal guilt of an offender and, most importantly, can be brought against institutional defendants that failed in their duty to prevent abuse and protect victims.

Because the cases we help survivors file are civil matters, it is possible to still pursue a case even when:

• Your abuser was never criminally investigated or charged.
• Your abuser was found Not Guilty in criminal court.
• Your abuser is no longer alive.

How Much is a Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Worth in Vermont?

It depends. Case value is entirely dependent on the unique facts and circumstances involved, which is why the best way to evaluate the potential value of your case is to have it reviewed personally by an attorney with experience in this field.

Generally, survivors of sexual abuse are entitled to a financial recovery of both their economic and non-economic damages. Given the complex effects of sexual abuse, and the fact that abuse has a long-term if not lifelong impact on victims, damages can be substantial.

Recoverable damages in sexual abuse cases may include:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Costs associated with mental health treatment / therapy
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish, fear, embarrassment, and anxiety
• Long-term mental health issues, including PTSD and depression
• Lost income and other economic losses

Levy Konigsberg has access to research, experts, and resources that allow us to thoroughly evaluate the damages suffered by our clients and present those damages effectively in claims and the courtroom. In every case we handle, we fight for the maximum compensation possible.