Sexual Assault Attorneys Serving Chestnut Hill, PA

No. A civil claim is separate from the criminal process. You can bring one whether or not you reported the assault, whether or not charges were filed, and whether or not a criminal case resulted in a conviction.

Yes. What you tell us is protected by attorney-client confidentiality from the first conversation, whether or not you decide to hire us. We will not contact your employer, your family, or anyone else without your permission.

Often there are options. Courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey can permit a survivor to proceed under initials or a pseudonym in some circumstances, and settlements can carry confidentiality terms. We will explain what is and is not possible in your specific situation before anything is filed.

It depends on your age when the assault happened, who is responsible, and which state's law applies, and Pennsylvania has changed these rules more than once in recent years. Some claims people assume are long closed are not. It costs nothing to have us check the deadlines that apply to you.

Sometimes. If an organization knew or should have known about the risk and failed to act, it may share responsibility for what happened. These cases turn on what was reported, to whom, and what was done about it, which is why writing down the sequence of events early matters.

The initial case review is free, confidential, and carries no obligation. Fee arrangements differ by practice group and by the facts of your matter, so we explain exactly how fees would work for your case, in plain language and in writing, before you are asked to sign anything.

Yes. Many people call to understand their options and go no further, and that is a completely legitimate reason to call. There is no obligation to hire us and no pressure to decide anything on the phone.

Chestnut Hill sits in Philadelphia County, so a state court matter goes to the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, at City Hall. Federal claims are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Chestnut Hill is a Philadelphia neighborhood, so matters are filed in Philadelphia despite its suburban character. That surprises people who judge by how the area looks or by what is nearby, but the county line is what decides the courthouse, not the character of the neighborhood.

Sometimes. Along with the person responsible, we bring claims where the facts support it against an employer, school, religious institution, landlord, or other organization whose failure to act made the harm possible. Chestnut Hill's Germantown Avenue corridor and the institutions around it are no exception. These cases turn on what was reported, to whom, and what was done about it, so write down the sequence of events while it is fresh.

Maybe not. It depends on your age when the assault happened, who is responsible, and which state's law applies, and Pennsylvania has changed these rules more than once in recent years. Some claims people assume are long closed are not. It costs nothing to have us check the deadlines that apply to you, and you owe nothing whichever way the answer comes out.

Not from us. What you tell us is protected by attorney-client confidentiality from the first conversation, whether or not you decide to hire us. We will not contact your employer, your family, or anyone else without your permission. Your first conversation is free, private, and carries no obligation, and you decide how much to share in it.