How Long Do I Have to File a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

You have 22 years in the state of California to sue for incidents of sexual abuse while you were detained at Santa Clara Juvenile Hall. However, the statute of limitations does not begin until your 18^th birthday, which is the legal age of adulthood in California. So, in actuality, you can file a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall sexual abuse lawsuit until the age of 40.

There are people who look at this rule and say, “That’s plenty of time to file a lawsuit against Santa Clara County for sexual abuse at a juvenile hall.” However, we know for a fact that it can take longer for a child abuse victim to recognize what’s happened to them and sue for monetary damages with help from a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall sexual abuse attorney.

This article will teach you about the deadline for a child sexual assault lawsuit, including what to do if the statute of limitations has expired on your case. However, there is much more to know about your rights and legal options, which we can go over with you during a free case evaluation.

Statute of Limitations to Sue Santa Clara Juvenile Hall for Sexual Abuse

As we’ve mentioned, the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit against Santa Clara Juvenile Hall for sexual abuse is 22 years from the time you are 18 years old. If you have any familiarity with lawsuits, you may be aware that the usual deadline for most cases of personal injury is 2 years. Therefore, one can say that the court system is very generous when it comes to how long you have to sue Santa Clara Juvenile Hall for sexual abuse.

Perhaps you’re wondering why so much is given to child sexual abuse victims. There are several reasons, starting with the fact that most children are unable to deal with the trauma of being sexually abused. Moreover, some kids do not even realize that what happened to them is abuse, which is very common with children who were groomed by their abuser.

But even those who understand that what happened was wrong rarely seek help right away. This is understandable at a juvenile hall, where snitching is seen as the ultimate offense. With that in mind, child victims often suppress their feelings of guilt, shame, and anger, which has devastating consequences for their physical and mental health. Thus, it can take several decades for these victims to assert their rights, which is why they are given a longer amount of time to sue for monetary damages, like emotional distress and pain and suffering.

Can I Sue Santa Clara Juvenile Hall if the Statute of Limitations has Already Passed?

Yes, there is a way for you to sue for sexual abuse at Santa Clara Juvenile Hall after the statute of limitations has passed. In the introduction for this article, we briefly touched on the fact that survivors of sexual assault during childhood may not be ready to take legal action by the time they are 40. For these individuals, California law has a discovery rule, which is based on the discovery of injuries from sexual abuse that happens after the deadline for a lawsuit is expired on your case.

For those who are inmates at a juvenile hall, living with the secret of sexual abuse is very common. They may have been threatened by the abuser, or they are under the impression that no one will believe them. Maybe they blame themselves for what happened, which we see quite often with children who were befriended by the abuser and manipulated into a sexual relationship (grooming).

The only solution, as far as the child can see, is to repress these awful memories and act like nothing happened. This almost always results in mental health dysfunctions, though it can be many years down the road before the victim figures out that these problems were caused by sexual abuse at Santa Clara Juvenile Hall.

If you are older than 40 by the time you discover an emotional or physical injury from child sexual abuse, you still have 5 years to file a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall sexual assault lawsuit. We know that this is a difficult concept to understand, so contact us right away to learn more about the discovery rule from a sexual abuse lawsuit attorney.

How can I Join a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall Class Action Lawsuit?

If you wish to join a Santa Clara Juvenile Hall sexual abuse class action lawsuit, the first step is to speak with an attorney that can sue the juvenile justice system for incidents of child abuse. A member of our legal team can educate you on the process of filing a class action claim and help you decide if it’s right for you. You can count on us to take care of everything, from contacting other victims to ensuring that all your paperwork is filed in a timely manner. We also have decades of experience negotiating settlements on behalf of child sexual assault victims, so you can count on us to recover the highest possible settlement from a class action lawsuit against Santa Clara Juvenile Hall.

Contact Kenmore Law Group

Justice can be challenging to achieve for those who were sexually abused at a government institution. However, it’s more than possible when you are represented by an experienced team of Santa Clara Juvenile Hall sexual abuse lawyers. That’s exactly what you will find here at Kenmore Law Group, along with a Zero Fee Guarantee if you wish to hire us. This is a policy where you pay absolutely nothing for the cost of legal representation. Our fees are recovered from Santa Clara County at the same time you receive your settlement. So, if you don’t receive payment from a juvenile inmate abuse lawsuit, neither do we.

Call us today and schedule a free case review if you or your family member was subjected to sexual abuse at Santa Clara Juvenile Hall.