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Two teachers from St. Helens High School in Oregon are facing criminal charges for sexually abusing students. Eric Stearns, 46 years old, and Mark Collins, 64 years old.
Stearns is facing:
- seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse
- and one count of third-degree sexual abuse.
Collins is facing:
- two counts of second-degree sexual abuse
- one count of second-degree attempted sexual abuse.
It is believed there are multiple victims, many of which have not come forward yet.
How Can A Civil Lawsuit Help Victims Seek Justice For The Trauma They May Have Experienced?
A civil lawsuit serves as a crucial avenue for victims seeking justice and redress from the trauma of sexual abuse, especially when organizations are implicated. By initiating legal action, survivors can hold both individual perpetrators and the institutions that may have enabled or failed to prevent the abuse accountable. Civil suits allow victims to seek compensation for the physical, emotional, and psychological harm they have endured. Thus helping to alleviate the financial burdens associated with medical and therapeutic expenses.
Additionally, these lawsuits contribute to raising awareness about the prevalence of sexual abuse. Legal proceedings also offer survivors a platform to share their experiences, thereby challenging the culture of silence surrounding sexual abuse and empowering others to come forward.
Can I File A Lawsuit Against The School?
Oregon law provides survivors of child sexual abuse with a more extended period to initiate civil lawsuits against their abusers. Specifically, an action shall be commenced before the survivor reaches 40. Alternatively, suppose the survivor discovers the causal connection between the abuse and their injury later in life. In that case, they have up to five years from the date of that discovery to file a claim, whichever period is longer.
Key Provisions of the Law
- Definition of Child Abuse: “Child abuse” encompasses intentional conduct by an adult resulting in physical or mental injury to a child, rape, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation.
- Discovery Rule: The law recognizes that many survivors may not immediately connect their injuries or trauma to the abuse they endured. Therefore, it allows for the filing of a lawsuit within five years from the date the survivor discovers or reasonably should have discovered, the causal connection between the abuse and the injury.
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