Clergy Sexual Abuse Attorneys

The Legal Remedy to Devastating Clergy Abuse

There are many children and adults who have been the victims of clergy abuse or harassment, whether in the work environment or as a parishioner of a specific religious group. Sexual harassment can be sexual innuendos, veiled sexual comments, or any other unwanted sexual actions that are upsetting and illegal. In many cases, the parishioners, sometimes innocent children, are asked to perform certain sexual acts, to discuss private matters including talking about their genitals, or asked to engage in discussing or participating in various sexual activities. These are serious crimes and must be addressed with a sexual harassment attorney in a civil lawsuit against the individual and church that allowed the actions to take place.

How to Take Legal Action

Some cases of clergy sexual harassment are when a parishioner or child is sought out, and efforts are made to speak to them privately to discuss sexual matters. This activity is often the precursor to even more dangerous sex crimes, including abuse. The Catholic Church has been under scrutiny for many serious criminal activities with regard to clergy members committing acts of sexual abuse over many years. The Pew Research Center found that Americans see Catholic clergy sexual abuse as an ongoing problem and that 90% of adults have at least heard about the abuse and victims coming forward.

It’s critical to be extremely vigilant about any harassment. If you or someone you know has experienced clergy sexual abuse, seek help from a child sexual abuse lawyer immediately. Manly, Stewart & Finaldi will help you prepare and gather all that is needed to fight for the compensation you deserve.

Who Can Commit an Act of Abuse?

Unfortunately, these atrocities are committed by different types religious leaders, including:

• Rabbis
• Ministers
• Pastors
• Church staff
• Priests
• Other religious workers

In the U.S., there’s been thousands of clergy members accused of sexual abuse. While the exact number can be hard to attain, there’s more than 5,300 priests and other clergy accused of sexual abusing children according to Consumer Safety.

Ensuring Accountability for Clergy Sexual Abuse

The clergy of all faiths are entrusted with the responsibility to report any suspected case of child sexual abuse. There is a scarcity of statistics about children who have been abused by clergy as many of these children simply don’t talk about it.

A sexual predator doesn’t stop at just one child. One predator can abuse many children over a lifetime. As horrible as the suffering of one abused child is, when the religious institution finds out about a case of abuse and takes no action, or covers it up which allows the predator to commit more abuse, this compounds the situation and those who hid the situation also become liable. Those who commit the abuse as well as those who knew of it and allowed it to continue must be held accountable. These complex cases require the skill of our knowledgeable clergy abuse attorneys to ensure success.