No matter the circumstances, sexual assault victims often have a hard time dealing with the trauma. Physical injuries following a sexual assault can take months or even years in recovery, while victims don’t often recover from the psychological shock. Filing criminal charges against the perpetrator is just one step towards closure. The perpetrator may eventually get a sentence, serve time in prison, and may have to pay fines and penalties to the state. For the victim, the eventual pressure is huge. Instead of just slapping criminal charges against the accused, victims can also consider filing an injury claim called a tort claim. An experienced Atlanta sexual assault lawyer can help the victim recover compensation for the losses suffered by them.
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Why should a victim file an injury lawsuit?
Like we mentioned, justice for the victim of a sexual assault is sentencing of the perpetrator. However, this doesn’t offer any financial relief to the family. The medical bills because of injuries may pile up in no time, and there are likely to be evident financial losses. A tort claim says that the other party owed a duty of care towards the victim and has caused intentional harm. Georgia is a fault state, so the at-fault party must pay compensation to the victim. A civil sexual assault case is treated as a case of intentional harm under personal injury law.
Finding an attorney
Not all attorneys in Atlanta take up civil sexual assault cases, and it makes sense to do some initial homework. Injury attorneys usually offer a free case evaluation, and therefore, you have the chance to meet the attorney and ask relevant questions like –
- How often do you deal with civil sexual assault cases?
- Have you handled similar cases in the past?
- What is your success rate in personal injury cases?
- What were the outcomes of similar cases?
- Have you represented victims of sexual assault in civil court?
As for the cost of hiring an attorney, personal injury lawyers typically ask for a contingency fee. You don’t have to worry about an upfront payment, but if the lawyer wins, they will charge a part of the final settlement. The fee varies between 25% and 40% of the amount. Hiring an attorney is your personal call, but when things are rough, and you want compensation because someone was evil, you should get legal help. You can check online injury law firms in Atlanta.