Piano Teacher Sexual Assault – Lawyer for Child Abuse Victims

Piano is a popular choice among kids who are interested in learning to play an instrument. Most children start piano at around 6, though some kids are especially gifted in music and show their abilities as young as 3 or 4. Of course, most piano students will not grow into professional musicians, but practicing an instrument teaches you valuable skills that can benefit you for the rest of your life.

Even in the world of googling and YouTube tutorials, it’s best to learn piano from a teacher with many years of experience. Finding a piano teacher seems easy enough, whether you want to attend a music academy or have an instructor to come to your house. Ideally, a piano teacher is someone who motivates and inspires you, while ensuring that you learn proper technique and develop a lifelong interest in music. Sadly, some of these interactions do not result in cherished memories for the student.

Were you sexually assaulted or harassed by a piano instructor? Are you struggling with commitment issues, mood disorders, addiction, depression, and other mental health conditions due to the trauma of sexual abuse? You are not alone in your struggle to move forward from such a painful betrayal. The journey to recovery is different for everyone, but many victims find solace in filing a lawsuit and holding the abuser accountable.

A piano teacher sexual abuse attorney can educate you on your rights and fight to bring you the highest possible settlement from a lawsuit. For more information on filing a claim for child sexual abuse, contact us to schedule a free case evaluation.

Your Right to Sue for Sexual Abuse by a Piano Instructor

Knowing who is liable (legally responsible) for your injuries is crucial, as it will determine who you can sue if you decide to go ahead with a lawsuit. If you hired a freelancer that teaches piano, you would normally file a civil claim against the teacher. But the issue is not so simple if the instructor is hired by a private academy or public school system.

If you are a student at a music school that is privately owned, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit against the business owner. If, on the other hand, you were sexually abused by a music teacher that works for a school district, you may have the option of filing a public entity claim against the school district.

In order to sue an individual or entity other than the person who abused you, the following must be established:

• The defendant (at-fault party) owed you a duty of care.
• The duty of care that was owed to you was breached by negligence or misconduct.
• Due to the defendant’s breach in their duty of care, you were sexually assaulted or abused in some other way by one of their employees.
• Due to the physical and/or emotional injuries you sustained, you are entitled to monetary compensation, such as medical expenses, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.

Sexual Assault by a Music Teacher

Though music is taught in schools, many parents sign their children up for lessons at private academies. It’s important to remember that these schools are private businesses over anything else. That means profits and public image take precedence over everything else. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that sexual abuse is so commonplace at music academies. Facility owners and administrators are especially slow to act on allegations of abuse if the teacher has a record of producing professional pianists and is well-respected in the industry.

However, one can argue that the risk of sexual assault is greater if you hire a private teacher. In this situation, it’s imperative that parents thoroughly check the teacher’s background and ask for personal and professional references. Once the teacher is hired, parents must keep an eye out for unusual behavior changes in their child, like poor performance at school, aggression, insomnia, and withdrawing from family and friends. These are key indicators of sexual or physical abuse between children and a trusted adult.

Rather than hiring someone that the child doesn’t know, some parents may ask the school’s music teacher for instruction in piano. It makes sense, considering that the child will be more comfortable with an adult who is already familiar to them. However, familiarity is often exploited by child molesters in order to groom and assault the underage student. With these cases, the ability to manipulate and coerce the victim is particularly strong, as they see the child at school most days of the week.

Regardless of the arrangement between a piano teacher and student, abusing one’s position of authority for sexual gratification is unconscionable. As someone that was sexually assaulted by a piano teacher, you have the right to seek justice through the civil court system, which we can help you with here at Kenmore Law Group.

Statutory Deadline to Sue for Piano Teacher Sexual Abuse

When Assembly Bill 218 went into effect on January 1, 2020, it greatly enhanced the protections for those who were sexually exploited or assaulted as minors. This includes a greater length of time to file a lawsuit for sexual assault, which is based on one of these dates, whichever comes later:

• 22 years from when you are legally an adult, meaning the deadline to sue for child sex abuse is the age of 40
• Up to 5 years of discovering the psychological or physical harm that resulted from abuse of a sexual nature prior to the age or 18.

The discovery rule acknowledges the fact that child victims of abuse are limited in their ability to process what is happening to them. They are also greatly limited in their ability to seek help, and this is why most of them suppress incidents of sexual assault and avoid talking about them. While they believe that everything is fine, chances are, they are afflicted with mental health issues that compromise their quality of life. So, what happens if the victim has exceeded the 22-year statute of limitations by the time they realize the source of their suffering? Thankfully, AB-218 provides such individuals with 5 years from the date or discovery if they wish to file a lawsuit.

Contact a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney

Victims of sexual assault during childhood need legal advice from a lawyer with decades of experience in sexual abuse lawsuits. That’s exactly what we can offer you here at Kenmore Law Group, so don’t hesitate to call for information on your rights and legal options.

All of our attorneys work on contingency, so you as the client pay $0 out of pocket. Instead, we add the cost of legal fees to the compensation you are entitled to. Once we successfully negotiate your payment, our payment is covered as a part of your settlement check. If we don’t win your case, you owe us absolutely nothing under the terms of the Zero Fee Guarantee.

Please take a moment to contact our office and schedule a free consultation.