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Abuse Guardians, a distinguished nationwide alliance of legal professionals committed to advocating for survivors of sexual abuse, is delighted to announce the appointment of Ervin Nevitt from Coplan + Crane as the dedicated Abuse Guardian for the state of Illinois. This prestigious role recognizes Ervin Nevitt's exceptional expertise, unwavering dedication, and extensive experience in championing the rights of survivors.
At the heart of Abuse Guardians lies an exceptional coalition of legal experts who have come together to offer specialized representation to survivors of sexual abuse. Through a rigorous and thorough selection process, the organization ensures that only the most compassionate and dedicated attorneys become part of its network. The selection committee of Abuse Guardians meticulously reviews each candidate's track record, legal proficiency, and demonstrated commitment to seeking justice on behalf of survivors. This comprehensive evaluation ensures that survivors in need receive the highest level of legal representation and steadfast support, embodying the core mission of Abuse Guardians.
Ervin Nevitt, Esq.
Sexual Assault Lawyer
Coplan + Crane
60 W Randolph St #101
Chicago, IL 60601
V9M9+XV Chicago, Illinois
Are you unsure of how to respond after you or a loved one has become the victim of sexual assault or child sexual abuse? You may be struggling with concerns like:
We believe you, and we believe that your story deserves to be told. You were wronged in the most egregious way possible. You were violated, perhaps by someone you trusted. You did nothing wrong. This was not your fault. You did not deserve to be mistreated; no one does.
Our experienced sex abuse attorneys understand the powerful and painful range of emotions that sexual abuse and sexual assault can cause. Anger, shame, rage, embarrassment, depression, pain and suffering - these are natural reactions to a terrible trauma you abuser has caused you. You are not a victim; you are a survivor, but all too often, survivors live quiet lives of desperation, struggling to come to terms with what happened.
Recovery is possible. What happened to you does not need to define your life. We can help. Whether or not the direct offender was held accountable in the criminal justice system, you can pursue justice on your own terms. For many survivors, filing a civil lawsuit is the first step on the path to true recovery. It's a way to take control over a situation spinning out of control.
As we all know, the criminal justice system plays an essential role in bringing the direct perpetrators of any form of sexual misconduct to justice. Criminal prosecutors pursue offenders and prosecute them, while courts impose severe penalties. But there is an alternative justice system - the civil justice system, in which survivors and their loved ones are allowed to pursue accountability and financial compensation on their own terms.
AbuseGuardian.com is sponsored by a national network of compassionate sexual assault and sexual abuse attorneys. No matter your legal matter, our lawyers have the experience, skill and resources to pursue your case. You can trust in our experience, as well as our outstanding record of success in sexual misconduct cases. Our attorneys have stood up to some of America's biggest organizations, including the Catholic Church and national massage spa chains. We are here to help sexual abuse victims. That's our promise to you.
To pursue cases in Illinois, our network has partnered with the compassionate legal professionals at Coplan + Crane. With decades of combined experience, the attorneys at Coplan + Crane have stood with assault and abuse survivors, pursuing justice on their behalf in civil courts across the country.
Illinois empowers survivors to pursue justice. If you were assaulted or abused, you may have the right to recover compensation and accountability by filing a private civil lawsuit against the responsible parties. The sexual assault and sexual abuse practice team at Coplan + Crane is led by firm Partner Ervin Nevitt, Esq. Ervin graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law and has been involved with a variety of personal injury cases involving thousands of plaintiffs.
The dedicated legal team at AbuseGuardian.com has already helped countless survivors step forward and pursue justice after suffering a severe trauma. You could be next. You have a powerful voice, and a story of strength and hope to inspire the world. We can help you tell it.
You are not alone. At AbuseGuardian.com, our dedicated legal team believes that you have an important story to tell, whether you decide to remain anonymous or make your name public. You are stronger than what happened to you, and you can make the responsible parties pay.
While closure may seem far away, recovery is possible. We've seen it happen in numerous cases. Many survivors are helped on a profound level by pursuing justice on their own terms. Needless to say, true recovery takes time, often years of therapy and difficult work. But we believe that you deserve justice, too. It's all possible in the civil justice system.
In many ways, the civil justice system offers you, as a plaintiff, a far wider range of options than can be found in the criminal justice system. Alongside the crime's direct perpetrator, you may also be eligible to file suit against any organizations, individuals or institutions that enabled the abuse or assault through their own negligence.
If you were abused by a priest, you may also be able to file suit against the Catholic diocese in which you were abused, or even the Catholic Church itself. If you were assaulted by a massage therapist, you may be able to pursue compensation from the massage spa as well. If your child was abused by a teacher, you may be eligible to demand accountability from the school and school district where your child was mistreated.
In most cases, the criminal justice system will never come close to touching these additional third-party defendants. The church, massage spa and school will never face criminal charges for their part in the sexual misconduct. Only the direct perpetrators of abuse will be prosecuted. But the civil justice system allows you to tell a far more nuanced story, one about the institutions and organizations that facilitate misconduct through failures, errors, mistakes, wrongdoing and negligence.
Due to its single-minded focus on punishing criminal offenders, the criminal justice system can often appear uncaring and unsupportive to survivors. We've spoken to many survivors who felt used by the criminal prosecution, treated as nothing more than glorified pieces of evidence.
There is another option, an additional justice system in which survivors and their families can find the support and financial compensation they deserve and so desperately need - the civil justice system. In the criminal justice system, offenders are held accountable to society at large, not to individual survivors. But the civil justice system flips this equation on its head. In the civil justice system, survivors take control of their legal futures. In filing a civil lawsuit, you pursue justice on your own terms. Civil lawsuits hold responsible parties accountable to individual survivors, not to society at large. Unlike the criminal justice system, civil litigation puts survivors at the heart of the legal process.
Illinois' powerful criminal code seeks to hold offenders and direct perpetrators accountable for their unwanted sexual harassment and misconduct. But the criminal justice system is not the sole avenue for justice. Beyond the statutes of criminal law, there is a separate set of rules and codes that govern civil law. Under the strong tenets of Illinois common law, survivors who have suffered due to sexual abuse or sexual assault are empowered to pursue financial compensation from both the direct perpetrators of misconduct and negligent third-party defendants.
Illinois law allows sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors to file lawsuits against direct perpetrators and negligent third-party defendants. These claims are closely related, often arising over the same misconduct, but rely on different sets of legal theories in Illinois' civil courts. Delaware's body of common civil law outlines a variety of "causes of actions" - legitimate reasons to sue someone else. The relevant causes of action will vary depending on who you are suing and what you claim happened.
In Illinois, civil lawsuits filed against the direct perpetrators of sexual misconduct generally rely on three separate but inter-related legal theories:
In most cases, you'll see these three causes of action (assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress) referred to as intentional torts. Unlike the tort of negligence, assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress require a minimal finding of intent. They are not mistakes or errors but intentional acts taken by the defendant.
The legal doctrine of negligence serves as the basis for the majority of sexual assault and sexual abuse lawsuits, at least when these cases are pursuing compensation from a third-party defendant.
For the theory of negligence to hold, there must be a prior "duty of care" between the plaintiff and the defendant. Negligence implies a duty, an obligation or responsibility, because at its core, negligence is the failure to uphold a pre-existing obligation to act with sufficient care.
In simpler terms, negligence acknowledges that some people owe other people a duty to act with reasonable care. Doctors, as just one example, owe their patients an obligation to follow well-recognized standards of medical practice, as well as a duty to perform their work with sufficient professionalism. Schools, colleges, and universities owe their students an obligation to provide adequate security against crime, as do hotels and motels in relation to their guests, visitors, and residents.
Illinois' powerful tradition of common law allows sexual assault and sexual abuse survivors to pursue civil lawsuits against the parties responsible for the misconduct. However, the time in which to file suit may be limited. In Illinois, a law known as the "statute of limitations" acts as a legal time limit, restricting the amount of time survivors have to file suit.
Complying with the statute of limitations is absolutely critical. If you attempt to file suit after the statute of limitations has run out, your case will be dismissed without a second thought. As a result, it's crucial to contact an experienced Delaware attorney immediately to ensure that your rights are protected.
Compared to other states, Illinois has very liberal statutes of limitations for sex crimes. To begin with, there is no statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. If you were abused as a child, you are allowed to commence your civil action at any time, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred. For adult survivors of sexual assault, the statute of limitations is a relatively short two years, beginning on the date of the assault. Note, however, that no statute of limitations exists in relation to Class X felonies - aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault - or Class 1 felonies - criminal sexual assault. These civil actions can be filed at any time.
Coplan + Crane serves in the landscape of traditional personal injury law, but that is where the tradition ends. While other firms are resistant to change and cling to the old ways of doing things, we foster a culture of ingenuity and innovation, rooted in experience and propelled by technology. Our firm is a team of forward-thinking legal minds that is approachable, honest, and dedicated to doing the right thing for our most important client: You.
At Coplan + Crane, we recognize the profound effects that sexual abuse and assault can have on an individual's life, and we are dedicated to helping you navigate the path to healing. We have assembled a list of valuable resources available in Illinois that offer support, care, and guidance to victims of sexual abuse and assault. We understand the importance of providing comprehensive assistance, and we are committed to representing our clients with compassion and professionalism while ensuring they have access to the support they need during this challenging time.
Helpful resources for victims of sexual abuse and assault in Illinois include:
We believe that knowledge is power, and by providing comprehensive information about the resources and support available to victims of sexual abuse and assault in Illinois, we aim to empower those affected to take the first steps toward recovery. It's crucial to remember that you are not alone, and help is available to guide you through the process of healing and seeking justice.
At Coplan + Crane, we are committed to standing with our clients throughout their journey toward healing and justice. Our experienced attorneys provide compassionate and professional representation to ensure that the rights of sexual abuse and assault survivors are protected. If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse or assault, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for guidance and support. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who have suffered, and work towards a safer and more just future for all.
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