New Hampshire Sexual Abuse
Many people have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of someone they trusted. Most of us are familiar with cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church due to several media publicized cases of priest sexual abuse, but church sex scandals are just one example of an issue that affects many in New Hampshire. New Hampshire sexual abuse also occurs at schools, camps, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and other places where circumstances allow. In New Hampshire, an employee at the Circle of Learning Daycare Center in Nashua admitted to sexually abusing 13 of the children who attended the center. Speaking out about sexual abuse is important in two ways: It can stop the abuser from hurting others and it helps bring a sense of closure for the victim. Speaking out can feel intimidating, but you and your loved ones are not alone. Attorneys such as Sam Rogatinsky specialize in helping you find your voice in court.
Sexual Abuse
Unlike clergy abuse, sexual abuse can be perpetrated by anyone and occur anywhere. The most common places for sexual abuse to occur are schools, camps, nursing homes, mental health facilities, group homes, and organizations such as the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. Countless children have been sexually abused in New Hampshire by those who were entrusted with their care, such as teachers, Boy Scout leaders, camp counselors, and so on. These adults are supposed to protect children, but instead cause them harm. Places like Camp Good News, which was referred to by U.S. Sen. Scott Brown as a place he suffered sexual abuse, has lost its accreditation due to the severity of new allegations by other survivors.
Adults are also sexually abused. At nursing homes and mental health facilities all over New Hampshire, social workers and psychologists take advantage of the vulnerable adults that they are supposed to be protecting. Fortunately, the perpetrators can be made to pay for the pain they have caused, but you must seek representation. Sam will help to make sure that everything possible is done to assure that your suffering has not been in vain.
Clergy Abuse
Although the Catholic Church is not the only venue for sexual abuse, it has been the most publicized due to the lack of bishop accountability. When the media picked up on the fact that bishops were just moving sexually abusive priests to another church, news outlets ran with the story. The truth is that clergy abuse includes not only Catholic priests, but rabbis, ministers, reverends, pastors, office staff at places of worship, religious youth directors, and anyone who works for a place of worship, such as the retired Episcopalian priest who has pled guilty to sexually abusing two young girls in New Hampshire.
If you or someone you know has been sexually abused by someone in this category, you now have an avenue of help available to you. You do not have to be a victim anymore. Contact Sam to find out how you can take control of what happened and help make sure it doesn’t happen to others.
New Hampshire Sexual Abuse and Clergy Abuse Statute of Limitations
The State of New Hampshire is a fairly liberal state when it comes to filing cases for sexual abuse. A survivor can choose the later of delayed tolling or three years after discovery.
The delayed tolling rule allows the survivor to file her claim 12 years after reaching the age of 18. So essentially that gives the victim of childhood sexual abuse the right to file a claim up to the age of 30.
Or, the victim has a choice of choosing a later date to file if discovery was made at a later date. For example, if discovery was made at 34 years of age and the victim can prove it, he would have up to the age of 37 to file a claim. Of course, if discovery is later due to a repressed memory or other circumstances, the filing date could be much later. Discovery in New Hampshire means that the victim “discovers, or in the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered, the injury and its causal relationship to the act or omission complained of.
As far as retroactivity is concerned, the 12 year delayed tolling law went into effect Jan. 1, 2009. The previous version of the statute, including the enactment of the discovery rule, went into effect July 22, 2005.
If you were sexually abused by a priest, rabbi, coach, psychologist or any other person who sexually abused you, please don’t feel ashamed. We want to help you.
Contact sexual abuse lawyer Samuel Rogatinsky at (954) 995-3805 or send an email to samr@sexabuseattorney.org