Civil Liability for Criminal Acts
One unique and highly sensitive area of liability arises from the criminal
sexual misconduct of individuals for which an owner or principal is alleged
to be liable. This is an area in which our firm has developed considerable expertise
defending numerous businesses and organizations against claims that they negligently
hired or failed to supervise individuals alleged to have engaged in criminal
sexual misconduct with minors.
Recent and ongoing media attention has highlighted this unsettling but growing
field of liability and litigation. As a result, businesses and service organizations
are facing heightened scrutiny of their employee screening, training and supervision
policies.
Our clients benefit from the firm’s outstanding litigation skills, combined with many years of experience by our lawyers in prior positions dedicated to combating sexual abuse. As former prosecutors, social workers, and counsel to various businesses, our attorneys can assist clients in establishing appropriate screening policies, or in the most difficult scenarios, successfully defending lawsuits.
Some recent cases of this practice group include:
- Representation of schools, churches, day care centers, early learning centers in connection with claims that the facility negligently hired or retained employees alleged to have engaged in criminal sexual misconduct.
- Tennessee: Representation of one of the largest early childhood education providers in connection with numerous cases arising out of criminal conviction of teacher at center for engaging in criminal sexual misconduct with minors. All of the claims were successfully resolved at amounts favorable to the client prior to trial.
- Texas: Representation of national day care center company in connection with numerous cases involving the criminal conviction of teacher for criminal sexual misconduct. All of the claims were successfully resolved at amounts favorable to the client prior to trial.
- Georgia: Defense of early childhood education center against claim by parents of minor that two teachers physically and mentally abused at the center. The case was resolved for nuisance value.
If you would like to directly contact the partners in this practice group, we invite you to do so:
Partners in this Practice Area
