Can I sue a church for sexual abuse that happened years ago?
Frank Stucki's Answer
Quick Answer
You can make a claim against a church for sexual abuse if it occurred on church property or during church events, often requiring the assistance of an experienced lawyer due to the complexities involved.
Key risks of waiting too long
Potential Risk
Potential for constitutional challenges.
Potential Risk
Complex layers of coverage related to liability.
Potential Risk
Risk of inadequate representation if a lawyer lacks experience in this area.
Potential Risk
Possibility of mishandling sensitive details or information.
Full Transcript
Below is an AI-generated transcript of the video answer.
If you have been assaulted by a member of a church, or on church property, or on a church-sponsored activity, or event, or trip,
yes, you can always make the claim against the church itself for sexual abuse for allowing it to happen, possibly a cover-up,
possibly having you come in and tell all the details and doing nothing about it, possibly referring you to their own attorney.
There are so, so, so many problems with sexual abuse happening in a church setting that it's almost always required to have an experienced trial lawyer,
experienced in civil and trauma and abuse cases, walk you through it and handle it for you,
because there are a lot of not only constitutional issues about protections, but also different layers of coverage and things like that.
So it is pretty complex. Make sure a lawyer is helping you with it.