Jacksonville Injury Attorney Blog
A Jacksonville, Florida, church has settled a claim brought by a young man who alleged he was sexually assaulted by a priest when he was a teenager. Through his attorneys, the man alleged that the church was liable for the priest’s conduct because of its failure to properly supervise the priest and its failure to properly respond to previous allegations of abuse.
Obviously, sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted church elder can cause serious psychological injury, especially to a child. In these types of cases, a plaintiff’s attorney earns his or her salt in proving the seriousness of such an injury. Physical injuries, such as broken bones, are relatively easy to demonstrate to a jury. However, psychological injuries are much less objective and require an attorney with experience in establishing the crushing seriousness of such injuries.
In addition to the injury issues, these cases are also dependent on demonstrating that the church was negligent for its failure to properly screen for prior allegations when hiring clergy or for failing to prevent such persons from having contact with minors once allegations surface. This requires an intense investigation that may span decades of prior employment. Any attorney handing such a claim must be willing to investigate significant resources and time to uncover the clergy and church’s background
Our Jacksonville lawyers have gained such experience by handling numerous cases involving psychological injury, including those occurring in a religious environment. If you would like a free consultation regarding your rights please contact our Jacksonville attorneys.