If you’re on this page, you may have spent years deciding whether to say anything at all. I want to start by saying that nothing is required of you today — not a decision, not your story, not your name. A conversation with me is confidential, costs nothing, and commits you to nothing. Many survivors call while still uncertain whether they want a lawsuit at all; some are calling for a child, a partner, or a friend. That first conversation is for understanding your options and your deadlines, not for deciding.
I represent survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, exploitation, and trafficking in civil cases: against the person responsible, and against the schools, churches, youth organizations, employers, hotels, medical providers, and other institutions that had the power to prevent it and didn’t. The criminal system decides whether someone goes to prison. The civil system is where survivors have their own lawyer, their own case, and the ability to hold everyone accountable — including the organization that looked the other way.
What a civil case can do that a criminal case cannot
A prosecutor represents the state; I represent you. In a civil case you decide whether to file, whether to settle, and what accountability looks like. The burden of proof is lower than in criminal court, and a civil claim may be possible even where there was no arrest, no prosecution, and no conviction. The case can reach an institution’s negligence — the failure to screen, supervise, investigate, or report — and not just the abuser’s conduct. And it can provide the financial resources for therapy, lost income, and the life the abuse interrupted. Many survivors tell me that being believed, on the record, by a jury or a defendant’s signature on a settlement, mattered as much as the money.
I’ll also tell you what a civil case cannot do. It cannot undo what happened, and the process can be long and demanding. Part of my job is to make sure you weigh what the case can deliver against what it will ask of you — with open eyes, and with as much of the control in your hands as the process allows.
Cases I take
- Childhood sexual abuse, including cases against schools, religious institutions, camps, sports programs, and youth organizations
- Sexual assault by a person in a position of trust — doctors, therapists, coaches, teachers, clergy, employers
- Assaults enabled by negligent security at hotels, apartment complexes, and other properties
- Sex trafficking and exploitation, including claims against hotels and businesses that profited from or ignored it under federal and Florida law
- Sexual abuse in nursing homes, group homes, and care facilities
- Abuse facilitated through online platforms and image-based exploitation
What working with me looks like
Confidential from the first call. What you tell me in a consultation is protected whether or not you hire me. You will not be asked to pour out your story to a web form, and I will never demand more detail than the moment requires.
You control the timeline. Some clients are ready to file within weeks. Others need months to decide. I’ll tell you what the deadlines are, and then the pace is yours.
Filing as Jane or John Doe. Courts often permit survivors of sexual abuse to proceed under a pseudonym so that their name does not appear in public filings. It requires the court’s permission, it is not automatic, and the defendants will know who you are — but the public generally will not. I raise privacy at the start of every case, not after filing: pseudonyms, protective orders, sealing, and redaction are strategy decisions, not afterthoughts.
Trauma-informed, not just trauma-aware. I will ask you what you need in order to get through a deposition or a mediation, and I’ll build around it. You will never be surprised by a question from me.
Prepared for trial. Institutions settle abuse cases when they believe a jury will hear the evidence. As lead trial counsel in Jane Doe v. School Board of Miami-Dade County, a federal Title IX sexual abuse case, I won a $6,000,000 jury verdict for a survivor. I have also obtained substantial settlements for clients who were not comfortable with the scrutiny of a public trial. Please note, however, that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; each case depends on its own facts. I always prepare a case to go all the way — which is precisely what makes the other side take it seriously before trial.
What the other side will do
Institutions rarely deny the abuse outright. They deny knowledge: they didn’t know, couldn’t have known, acted as soon as they did. They argue that the deadline has passed, that the abuser was outside the scope of his role, that your injuries came from somewhere else. They may seek your therapy records and your history. I know these defenses because I spent years on the side that raises them, and I know what evidence answers them: prior complaints, personnel files, access and supervision records, the policies they had and ignored, and what they did after the warning signs appeared.
Imperfect evidence does not mean there is no case. Abuse rarely happens in front of neutral witnesses; disclosure is often delayed; memories carry gaps. Your testimony is evidence. So are messages, photographs, school and employment files, prior disclosures to people you trusted, changes others observed in you, and — very often — records the institution has that you’ve never seen. The task is not to pretend the record is perfect. It is to find what exists, test it honestly, and build the clearest account the evidence supports.
Deadlines
Florida has eliminated or substantially extended the filing deadline for many sexual abuse claims, especially involving children, and federal law provides its own windows for trafficking and exploitation claims. But the rules are technical and depend on when the abuse occurred, how old you were, and who the defendant is. Some claims that seem too old are not. Some that seem recent have clocks running. Ask.
If you’re weighing your options
If it is safe to do so, keep what exists: messages, photographs, journals, names of anyone you told, therapy and medical information, and any correspondence with the institution. Don’t alter anything, don’t access accounts that aren’t yours, and don’t confront anyone because a website told you to.
Sexual Abuse FAQs
Do I have to report to the police first?
No. A civil case does not require a police report or a criminal conviction. If there is a criminal case, I coordinate with it; if there isn’t, the civil case proceeds on its own.
Will I have to testify in front of the person who hurt me?
Possibly, if the case goes to trial, though most cases resolve before that. Courts and I have tools to reduce the burden: protective orders, remote testimony in some circumstances, and careful preparation. You won’t walk into anything unprepared.
I stayed in contact with the person afterward. Does that ruin my case?
No. Continued contact is one of the most common responses to abuse, especially abuse by someone in a position of trust, and it does not answer whether the abuse occurred. The defense may raise it, which is exactly why I’ll discuss it with you candidly and early — a fact you’ve prepared for is a fact that loses its sting.
Can a family member or friend call for me?
Yes. Someone who loves you can make the first inquiry and gather information. The decisions will ultimately belong to the person with the claim — or to a parent, guardian, or personal representative where the law provides — and I don’t share anything with anyone without the client’s permission.
What if the abuser has no money?
Many cases proceed against the institution whose negligence allowed the abuse, and many of those institutions carry insurance. That is often where accountability and recovery come from.
Will the case become public?
Court filings are generally public, subject to the protections described above — pseudonyms, sealing, redaction. Presuit resolution, mediation, and settlement offer more privacy, though a settlement with a public body such as a school board is a public record. What “public” and “confidential” mean in your specific case is a conversation you and I have at the beginning, so the choice is yours and informed.
What does it cost?
Contingency fee: no attorney’s fee unless there is a recovery. You will not owe me for case costs I advance if there is no recovery. Everything is set out in writing before you sign.
One more thing worth knowing before you start: a party who loses a lawsuit can generally be ordered to pay the other side’s court costs. I’ll explain how that risk applies to your case before you decide anything.
Can I bring a case on behalf of my child?
Yes. A parent or guardian may bring a claim for a minor, and, except for small claims resolved before a lawsuit is filed, a court must approve the settlement to protect the child’s interests.
I’m not sure what happened to me counts.
If you’re asking, it’s worth a conversation. I will listen, tell you honestly what I think, and never pressure you.
If I’m not the right lawyer
Survivor cases sometimes belong with a lawyer in another state or with particular institutional experience. If that’s true of yours, I’ll say so and help you get there. You will not be passed along; you’ll be introduced.
Call (305) 926-9452 or send a message. Confidential. No obligation. At your pace.
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