Avenues of legal recourse for crime victims are often widely paved and wholly satisfactory as conduits for securing justice against wrongdoers. That is, criminal perpetrators are held fully accountable for their unlawful conduct, with relevant law punishing them in a manner that goes far toward making victims feel both empowered and wholly vindicated.
Sometimes that outcome is less than clearly realized, though, especially in select criminal law realms.
Sexual abuse is a case in point, given the singular aspects that surround it. Sometimes a perpetrator faces criminal charges and a prison term, but that is a matter to be determined by government officials, not a victim.
What is left for an individual understandably suffering material harm as a sexual abuse victim is pursuit of a wrongdoer through the civil system. The outcome of a successful civil lawsuit centrally entails a damage award marked by a money recovery.
We note on our website at the established pro-victims’ law firm of Kennedy Law Firm in Albuquerque that “it’s hard to imagine comparing the trauma of sexual abuse to a dollar amount.”
But we also note this: A civil lawsuit is the tool provided by society in good faith that can best allow a victim to fight back against a wrongdoer.
Candidly, the benefits for a sex abuse victim opting to take civil action go far beyond money compensation. That is often a critically important outcome, of course, but it is accompanied by myriad other upsides that victims deeply appreciate when they invoke the process. Passivity and a sense of hopelessness are replaced by personal empowerment. Full accountability for heinous conduct can be demanded and secured. Victims who take action often feel renewed purpose in their lives, and strength moving forward.
We always welcome contacts from individuals across New Mexico who have questions or concerns relevant to any aspect of sexual abuse. Our firm provides impassioned and proven representation for abuse victims who seek to come forward and employ a proactive response against sexual perpetrators.
