Fort Lauderdale Camp Sexual Assault Attorney
Camps should be places that are welcoming environments for kids and teens, as well as for staff members. Yet camps are also common sites where sexual assaults occur, frequently at the hands of male staff members. It is important to keep in mind, however, that perpetrators of sexual assault and sexual abuse in camps are not linked to a single sex or gender, and it is critical to take action if sexual assault does occur at a camp. In recent years since the #MeToo movement, current and former campers have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against camp instructors and camp staff.
If you were victimized at a camp, or if your child has come forward with allegations of sexual assault after attending a camp, it is critical to seek advice from a Fort Lauderdale camp sexual assault attorney about filing a claim.
Camp Sexual Assaults in Fort Lauderdale
Camp sexual assaults occur more often than any of us would like to think. While signing your child up for camp or attending a camp retreat yourself should be an experience that will result in lasting and happy memories, many camp cultures allow sexual harassment and sexual assault to occur with impunity. In these cases, the owner of the camp, the employee or camp-goer who engaged in acts of sexual assault, and other parties may be responsible for harm in a civil lawsuit.
According to the American Camp Association, some camps throughout the country have finally begin to face “the exposure of often long-standing sexual abuse and harassment of both male and female victims by mostly men in power.” What camps need to do, the American Camp Association emphasizes, is to develop a “clear, nuanced approach with staff that distinguishes between healthy interest and unwanted advances, overtures, or worse.” To be sure, camps have a duty to ensure that their spaces are safe for campers, and the failure to do so may result in liability.
Liability for Sexual Assaults at Camps
Camps can be liable civilly for sexual assault regardless of whether the perpetrator has been tried and convicted of sexual battery in Florida, was acquitted, took a plea deal, or was never held accountable through the criminal justice system. To be clear, civil liability through a sexual assault lawsuit is not dependent upon criminal liability.
Who can be liable for sexual assaults at camps? You may be able to file a civil lawsuit against one or more of the following parties:
- Camp owner;
- Camp manager or supervisor;
- Another camper; or
- Camp employee.
Statute of Limitations for a Camp Sexual Assault
Under Florida law, you will like have two years from the date of the sexual assault to file a claim for financial compensation.
Contact a Camp Sexual Assault Attorney in Fort Lauderdale
Whether the camp is a summer sleepaway camp for teens or a retreat for adults, campers should be able to feel safe, and camps have a duty to create safe environments in which employees are not engaging in violent acts of sexual harassment or sexual assault. If you were sexually assaulted at a camp, or if your child was victimized, you should get in touch with a Fort Lauderdale sexual assault attorney. Contact Boone & Davis today to learn more.
