Sexual Assault

A criminal case and a civil case are not the same search

People search the police report, a campus process, and a civil lawsuit as if they were one form. They are not. A criminal charge is brought by the Commonwealth. A civil claim is brought by the person who was harmed, often against an attacker, an employer, a school, or a property owner. Deadlines for those paths are different, and they depend on the age of the person and the year of the assault.

If you are in immediate danger, contact the police. A message here is a request for a referral. It is not an investigation, and it is not a report to law enforcement.

What to send

The county, whether a police report exists, and whether this happened at work, at a school, or somewhere else. Do not send photos or a detailed account you are not ready to repeat. The county and the setting are enough to route it.

Nothing on this page is a prediction of what a case is worth, and it is not legal advice. A message asks the desk to review the facts and refer them.

What to send

Reports of sexual assault. If you are in immediate danger, contact the police. A message here is a request for a referral, not an investigation.

The useful first facts are the place, the date, the court if there is one, and what happened. Records can wait until a lawyer asks for them.

How a referral works

A message asks the desk to read the facts and refer them to a lawyer who handles this work. It does not hire that lawyer, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The lawyer who receives the introduction decides whether to take the matter and talks with you about deadlines and fees.

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