Has your child been harmed by another person? Were they physically, sexually, or emotionally abused? If your child were hurt due to another person’s actions or negligence, Belal Hamideh, experienced child abuse attorney, can help. In California, it is illegal to inflict physical harm on a child. If someone has harmed your child, we can help. We can represent you as aggressively as possible. That way, you receive as much compensation as possible to keep this person from ever doing it again. You can contact us for a free consultation.
How Can a Child Abuse Attorney Help You?
When your child is hurt and abused by someone else, it’s natural to feel angry, frustrated, and even lost. It’s commonplace to ask yourself how it could happen, who’s going to answer for this, and what you should do next. Belal Hamideh and his team can help you to receive the maximum compensation that you and your child deserve.
For example, this compensation can take the form of economic damages. These include compensation for any medical bills that were a direct result of your child’s abuse, as well as any treatments, therapies, medications, and more. Indeed, you can even receive compensation for medical treatment that your child will eventually need.
Beyond that, you can also receive compensation for wages that you lost from being unable to work while assisting with your child’s recovery.
Additionally, you can also claim non-economic damages. These can compensate you and your child for your child’s pain, suffering, emotional distress, and more. We represent our clients as aggressively as possible to help them to receive their maximum compensation.
What is Considered Child Abuse?
There are four main categories of child abuse. Physical abuse is one of the most common. When a child is injured from being struck, thrown, shaken, beaten, and so forth, this is considered physical abuse. Regardless of intent, if a child is bruised, their bones broken, they suffer lasting damage, and the like, it’s abuse.
Unfortunately, physical abuse isn’t the only kind of abuse – you can sue for emotional abuse as well. If a child’s emotional development is negatively impacted by an ongoing pattern of treatment, that’s considered emotional abuse. This can take the form of threatening the child, confining them unnecessarily, criticizing them excessively, withholding support and affection, and through other ways.
Neglecting a child is also a form of abuse. Children have basic needs, and when they aren’t met, that can be considered neglect. If a child isn’t properly supervised or cared for, should they be exposed to domestic violence, or even if they aren’t provided with education, that could be neglect? This includes cases where a child’s special education needs were not met.
Sexual abuse includes any use of a child for sexual gratification. Child prostitution, rape, indecent exposure, and exploiting a child through creating pornography – are all sexual abuse. Additionally, sexual abuse includes the persuasion, inducement, and coercion of a child for anything mentioned previously.
What Are The Penalties for Child Abuse in California?
The penalties for child abuse vary depending upon the harm. Your case could be a criminal or a civil case. The penalties could include fines (which can go well into the thousands of dollars) as well as probation (usually between six months to a year). By that same token, for criminal cases, incarceration can be a penalty.
Other penalties for child abuse can include restraining orders, placing the child in protective services, removing a parent’s rights to care for a child, requiring therapy, and so forth. If your child was abused, we can draw upon our experience to help you to receive the maximum compensation and the best possible outcome.
How to Report Child Abuse in California
There are 24/7/365 hotlines maintained by the government to call if you believe that a child’s health or safety has been jeopardized. Trained social workers staff these and you can find the number for your area here. That said, there is a toll-free number within California to call: (800) 540-4000.
There are people who, according to the law, are mandated to report child abuse. If they don’t, they will be held legally responsible and could be found guilty of a misdemeanor. This includes all licensed healthcare professionals, such as EMTs, nurses, physicians, medical examiners, and many others, including all of the employees in long-term health facilities.
Clergy, teachers, child care custodians, social workers, law enforcement employees, and even commercial film/photographic print processors are all required, by law, to report child abuse. If you have any suspicion that a child may have been abused or even if you know a family that could use additional access to resources, support, and the like, reach out to (800) 540-4000.
Filing A Lawsuit For Child Abuse
We can help you to bring a suit against any and all parties responsible for the abuse of your child. Once you connect to us, we’ll conduct a thorough investigation to determine which parties are responsible. From there, we’ll represent you as aggressively as possible so as to help you and your child to receive everything that you deserve.
Who Can I Sue for Child Abuse?
You can sue the perpetrator. You can bring a suit against the person that has abused your child. Moreover, you can do this even if the perpetrator was not found guilty in a criminal case. Children and their families can file a civil lawsuit for damages that result from child abuse.
Additionally, you can sue more than just the perpetrator. For example, if the abuse occurred at a school, you could bring a suit against the school. The same is true of a church, any place of business, or any other kind of abuse that may have employed the perpetrator. A school that didn’t screen or even monitor an employee that sexually abused a child can be found to be liable.
When we take your case, our office will investigate all potential defendants and work hard to collect evidence that can win your case.
What’s the Time Limit to File the Lawsuit?
In child abuse cases, the statute of limitations is longer than you may initially think. In the state of California, any legal action for an injury that happened to a minor is “tolled” until the child turns 18. The statute of limitations for sexual abuse, however, is different and longer.
If the child abuse occurred at school, then there is a six-month statute of limitations to file a government claim for personal injury regardless of the victim’s age. If the claim is denied, you must file a lawsuit within six months of the claim denial date.
Failure to comply with the proper statute of limitations will bar your right to recover for personal injuries in a child abuse case. It is important to promptly hire a lawyer so that all deadlines are met.
For legal action in regards to sexual abuse of a minor, you must file a lawsuit within eight years of the date that your child turns 18 or within three years of the date, that person discovers (or reasonably should have discovered) that psychological injury or illness occurred after the age of 18 was caused by sexual abuse. You can go by whichever period expires later.
As you can see, these cases can be complex. The best course of action is to reach out to an experienced attorney as soon as possible. The sooner you do so, the sooner we can get to work on your case.
How to Get a Child Abuse Settlement Approved
After we’ve settled or won your case, steps need to be taken to ensure that the child’s money is protected. We can do everything we can to make sure that the settlement is enforceable and done properly. To that end, an adult has to specifically request that the California child abuse lawsuit/claim is settled, as a child can’t do it on their own.
We’ll do everything we can to see that the money is protected for the minor by the court which approves the settlement. That way, the money will be available for the child’s benefit as they age. We can work with you to handle this in the way that best fits your situation so that your child will be able to receive their compensation when and how they should.
What Can You Be Compensated For?
A child abuse survivor can be compensated for both economic and non-economic damages. We represent your interests aggressively, so as to help you receive as much compensation as possible. Economic damages include:
- Medical Payments. Doctors, hospital care, medications, therapy, and more. This covers both medical treatment they’ve already received as well as those in the future.
- Lost Wages. Many parents of child abuse survivors are unable to work for periods of time due to helping their children. We can help you receive compensation for that as well as any money you would have earned in the future that you may be unable to.
A child may also receive non-economic damages. They include:
- Emotional Distress. Unfortunately, compensation cannot change what has occurred. However, it can be used to help you and your child to find proper, helpful resources.
- Pain and Suffering. Abuse can, unfortunately, lead to long-term issues. You and your child can be compensated for them, so as to ease pain and suffering to the extent possible.
- Loss of Consortium. Child abuse can damage relationships. If this occurs, you can claim damages for it.
- Loss of Quality of Life. The toll from child abuse can leave scars that aren’t visible. Compensation can help you to move forward.
- Punitive Damages. These damages are designed to punish those who have done wrong, to ensure that they do not do so again.
A Child Abuse Attorney to Help You and Your Family
If your child was harmed by another person, you very well may deserve compensation. Even if you only suspect, it’s worth it to reach out to a child abuse attorney. Belal Hamideh has years of experience in helping survivors of child abuse and their families to get what they deserve. Now, he can use that experience for you and your family. Hablamos Espanol. For a free consultation, call us.
