The evidence needed to prove sexual abuse by a doctor will vary based on the accusations you want to level against a medical professional, but they’ll most often include records of physical injuries, results from a rape kit, photos, and electronic data. You can work with a doctor sexual abuse lawyer in Columbus to decide what data might best impact your case.
Our team wants to make it as easy as possible for you to recover financially in the wake of a doctor’s sexual abuse. We can work with professional investigators to gather the data needed to make your case, thereby protecting you from additional abuse, intimidation attempts, and retaliation. We’ll keep you up to date as our investigation into your case evolves.
When Should You Ask a Columbus Doctor Sexual Abuse Lawyer for Legal Support?
Medical sexual abuse can leave you in a particularly vulnerable position. Not only do you need to find a new doctor and deal with the distrust sewn by your previous provider, but you also have to deal with the long-term emotional and physical consequences of someone else’s mistreatment. When in that recovery period are you supposed to have time to file a lawsuit?
Our Columbus sexual abuse lawyers know how to make that time for you. When you have an attorney on your side, you can trust a legal professional to investigate the abuse that put you at risk without infringing on the time you need to recover.
With that in mind, we recommend you get in touch with a legal professional within weeks of realizing that you’ve suffered sexual abuse. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can start investigating your mistreatment.
For a free legal consultation, call 614-481-6000
What Evidence is Most Important in Your Doctor Sexual Abuse Case?
The evidence that our Columbus personal injury lawyers need to prove sexual abuse by a doctor can include the following:
- Rape kit evidence
- Electronic data, including inappropriate texts, photos, and videos
- Bystander data
- Photos and video footage relevant to your case
- Expert witness testimony, including statements from sexual abuse experts
- Physical data, including DNA and signs of injuries
The evidence that has the greatest impact on your post-abuse recovery will depend on the specific types of sexual violence you faced and what compensation your claim demands.
Can That Evidence Play a Role in a Criminal Case?
The evidence you use to hold a medical professional accountable for your abuse can appear in a criminal case. However, the civil and criminal spheres typically exist separately from one another. In Ohio, you are not required to open a criminal case against a doctor before filing a civil lawsuit against that same abuser.
If the state does initiate a criminal investigation into a doctor’s abuse, it may ask you to provide testimony about your mistreatment throughout that case. Prosecutors may reference some of the same photos and electronic evidence you use to argue for compensation when charging a doctor with fines and jail time.
You can discuss specific instances of overlap between a criminal and civil doctor sexual abuse case with our experienced attorneys. If Ohio’s criminal courts convict a liable party of sexual abuse before your civil case concludes, you could even include that conviction as evidence of negligence in your civil case.
Evidence Can Help Prove the Value of Your Doctor Sexual Abuse Losses
Evidence does more than establish your right to hold medical professionals accountable for their abuse. The evidence investigators gather can also elaborate on the value of the settlement you deserve.
You must have the means to tie losses like your medical expenses, psychological therapy, and emotional distress back to different types of sexual violence. Fortunately, our team knows how to assign dollar values to the economic and non-economic losses most commonly found in today’s doctor sexual abuse cases, including the following:
- Medical treatments needed to address any abuse-related injuries
- New patient fees at doctors’ offices
- Pregnancy care, as necessary
- Lost wages or compensation for your inability to return to work
- Property damage and restoration, as needed
- Emotional distress
- Trauma
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
You can trust our team to prioritize your right to ask for the maximum compensation possible in the wake of your mistreatment. We’ll go over your desired settlement with you ahead of time so you understand why we’ve assigned certain dollar values to different losses, as well as what evidence we intend to use to defend your request.
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Submit Your Findings Before Your Case’s Statute of Limitations Expires
Ohio’s personal injury statute of limitations usually only gives you three years to file a claim against an abusive medical professional. However, the circumstances that led to your abuse can impact how long you have to file a claim.
For example, if you were abused by a doctor as a minor, Ohio’s civil statutes give you until you turn 30 to take legal action against your abuser. Likewise, if you’re filing a claim on behalf of someone who’s mentally disabled, you may have longer to complete your paperwork than you would otherwise.
We encourage you to discuss what statute of limitations might apply to your doctor sexual abuse case during your initial case consultation. The sooner you know what deadlines you’re working with, the sooner you can begin compiling the evidence needed to prove sexual abuse by a doctor.
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You Have the Right to Take a Doctor Sexual Abuse Case to Civil Court
The evidence you need to prove sexual abuse by a doctor takes on a wide range of forms and can come from multiple sources. However, you do not have to be directly involved in the evidence-gathering process, especially if you’re in a fragile state or need more time to recover.
Our Columbus doctor sexual abuse attorneys take pride in providing our clients with refuge from the abuse they’ve faced. We will never endanger our clients and can instead work with professionals who can gather the evidence needed to make a persuasive claim.
If you’re ready to hold medical professionals accountable for abusing you, schedule your free sexual abuse case consultation today. The team at Cooper Elliott is ready to go to work for you.
Call or text 614-481-6000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
