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No one should ever have to go through the process of recovering from a sexual assault. At Salter, Healy, Rivera & Heptner, our team is here to help if you need a St. Petersburg sexual assault lawyer by your side. We understand the challenges sexual assault survivors face, and our goal is to help you recover your strength and power through a lawsuit against the perpetrator. Let us help you recover compensation and closure so you can move forward with your life. Schedule a free case consultation.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you need a team ready to have your back every step of the way. Salter, Healy, Rivera & Heptner is here.
Information available from Marshall University shows that sexual assault can include a number of unwanted or forced sexual activity. This includes:
If you are unsure about whether or not you were sexually assaulted or if what happened to you is included in these definitions, we encourage you to reach out to our team for a free and confidential consultation.
Information from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) shows that a person in America sustains a sexual assault every 68 seconds. On average, there are approximately 463,000 victims of rape or sexual assault each year in the US. Approximately one out of every six women in the US has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. However, we do want to point out that men and boys can also be victims of sexual assault.
Successfully filing a sexual assault claim against another party can be incredibly stressful, particularly for individuals who have already survived the incident. When you work with a skilled St. Petersburg sexual assault lawyer, you will have an advocate by your side every step of the way. Your injury attorney will handle all communication and interactions with other parties. They will ensure that you are evaluated by trusted medical and mental health professionals.
Importantly, your lawyer will fully investigate every aspect of the claim. They will dig into your particular incident and closely scrutinize the alleged negligent parties to uncover whether or not there has been a pattern of similar behavior.
A sexual assault attorney will vigorously negotiate with other parties to recover fair compensation on behalf of their client, but they will also not hesitate to take a case to trial if that is what it takes to ensure fairness.
Even though a sexual assault civil claim against a negligent party is not a criminal case, civil cases can still help bring a sense of closure and justice to those affected.
Information available from RAINN indicates that sexual assault and sexual violence can have extreme long-term effects on survivors. For example, data shows that approximately 94% of women sexual assault survivors experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the weeks that follow the assault and that approximately 30% of those women report symptoms of PTSD nine months after the assault.
Data also indicates that individuals who have sustained a sexual assault are more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide, and they are also more likely to use drugs than the general public.
We point out this data because we understand that money is not going to erase what happened, but it can help bring closure and assistance to survivors. Our goal is to help ensure sexual assault survivors recover various types of compensation for their losses, including economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages after a sexual assault occurs include the calculable expenses incurred by the survivor. This can include, but is not limited to, the following:
Non-economic damages are equally as important because these cover the unseen losses sustained by a sexual assault survivor in St. Petersburg. This is compensation designed to help compensate individuals for their physical pain and suffering, emotional and psychological distress, and loss of quality of life caused by the incident.
In many cases of sexual assault, punitive damages may be available. In Florida, punitive damages are designed to act as a punishment for the defendant as well as a deterrent to others. In Florida, punitive damages are limited to three times the total amount of compensatory damages already awarded or $500,000, whichever figure is greater.
The total amount of compensation paid to a sexual assault survivor will vary depending on the circumstances surrounding each particular situation. Your sexual assault attorney will work with trusted medical and economic experts to adequately calculate total expected losses.
If you or somebody you care about is a survivor of sexual assault in the St. Petersburg area, reach out to the team at Salter, Healy, Rivera & Heptner today. Our compassionate lawyers want to hear your story. We have extensive experience helping survivors of sexual assault recover compensation and closure, and we want to help you take back your control period when you need a St. Petersburg sexual assault lawyer, reach out for a free consultation of your claim by completing our contact form or calling us at (727) 321-HELP.