Washington, DC Lawyers Who Handle Sexual Abuse by Doctors Claims
40+ years of strong advocacy for personal injury victims
Patients have the right to trust that their doctors, nurses, hospitals, and all medical providers will treat them with dignity and respect. Sadly, some doctors and healthcare providers use the trust that patients place in them to commit sexual abuse while treating patients. Medical providers who commit sexual abuse of a patient deserve to be held accountable for their outrageous and unprofessional conduct.
At Nace Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, our Washington, DC sexual assault attorneys hold doctors and other medical professionals and institutions liable for the physical and emotional trauma they cause patients due to sexual abuse. We work to establish that sexual abuse occurred, identify responsible parties, and pursue appropriate compensation.
Call us today to assert your legal rights. We work with physicians and psychiatrists who can support your legal claim and verify your trauma.
How can we help?
- How does medical abuse in the health profession occur?
- What physical and emotional injuries does sexual abuse of patients cause?
- What duty do hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers have to report sexual abuse of patients in Washington, DC?
- What steps should patients take if a doctor or another healthcare provider commits sexual abuse, rape, or assault?
- Who is liable for sexual abuse of patients in Washington, DC?
- What compensation can patients receive for sexual abuse by a doctor or a healthcare provider?
- FAQs
- Do you have a Washington, DC law for sexual abuse by doctors or other healthcare providers near me?
How does medical abuse in the health profession occur?
Sexual abuse by medical professionals includes inappropriate and/or nonconsensual touching or sexual contact, sexual assault, and other improper sexual involvement with a patient. The medical settings where sexual abuse may occur include:
- Private practices
- Hospitalizations
- Medical clinics
- Long-term care facilities
- Ambulatory surgical centers
- Any other medical setting
The medical professionals who may be responsible include doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and any other healthcare providers.
Patients place their trust in their physicians. Medical examinations and tests may include examinations of the sexual parts of the anatomy. But those examinations may cross the line if the examination of a sexual part is not necessary, or the examination involves more than is reasonably medically necessary to provide quality medical care.
Patients may not understand until they leave the medical facility or for a significant time later that their physician or medical provider violated their dignity, their trust, and their body.
What physical and emotional injuries does sexual abuse of patients cause?
Sexual abuse by a healthcare provider may cause the following injuries:
- Unwanted pregnancy
- Sexually transmitted diseases and sexual health injuries
- Violations of the patient
- Pelvic pain
- Sexual dysfunction
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Loss of self-esteem and confidence
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Avoidance of anything that might remind the patient of the abuse, including obtaining medical care
- Intrusive thoughts
- Self-harm
What duty do hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers have to report sexual abuse of patients in Washington, DC?
Under DC law, healthcare providers are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Reporting obligations for adults are more limited and generally apply only in specific circumstances involving vulnerable adults.
What steps should patients take if a doctor or another healthcare provider commits sexual abuse, rape, or assault?
If you suspect that a doctor or another medical provider has sexually abused you or your child, you should:
- Seek medical help from a different medical provider. Medical help may include the use of a rape test kit, checking for STDs, and psychological counseling, which may be long-term.
- Report the abuse to local law enforcement.
- Report the abuse to the Washington, DC Board of Medicine
- Contact our respected sexual abuse lawyers
- Use local resources, which we discuss below.
Who is liable for sexual abuse of patients in Washington, DC?
Healthcare providers and institutions may be liable when the abuse occurs in a setting where patients are particularly vulnerable and dependent on professional care. Our Washington, DC sexual abuse lawyers work with you, our own network of medical professionals, investigators, and through the formal discovery process to show that sexual abuse did occur and who is responsible. The formal discovery process includes written and oral questions of the defendants and any witnesses. It also includes a full review of your medical records.
The responsible medical providers may include the actual abuser. The employers of the medical professional, such as medical practices and hospitals, may also be liable based on the following:
Employers may be held vicariously liable in limited circumstances, but in many sexual abuse cases, liability is based on negligent hiring, supervision, or retention because such conduct is often found to fall outside the scope of employment.
Employers may be liable for failing to vet the medical providers they hire, encourage reporting of complaints, investigate complaints, and discipline medical providers who violate the employer’s policies and procedures.
For example, a Washington, DC hospital may be liable if it knew or should have reasonably known that one of its doctors was sexually abusing patients and failed to take appropriate disciplinary action, such as suspending or firing the physician.
What compensation can patients receive for sexual abuse by a doctor or a healthcare provider?
Victims of sexual abuse often have a lifetime of emotional trauma. That trauma is worsened when the person who commits the abuse is someone, such as a doctor, whom the victim trusted. Our Washington, DC lawyers work with a network of physicians and psychologists to show just how devastating your trauma is.
We demand compensation for all of your current and future:
- Medical bills, including any physical trauma and emotional suffering. The medical costs may also include delays or the inability to properly treat the original reason you sought medical care.
- Loss of income and benefits because the trauma prevents you from working.
- Daily pain and suffering.
- The inability to enjoy life’s pleasures.
- The inability to have relationships.
When abuse occurs in a healthcare setting, compensation may also include the consequences of delayed or avoided medical treatment, as well as the loss of trust in medical providers that can affect a patient’s future care. We also seek punitive damages, where Washington, DC law permits.
FAQs
How do you fight for sexually abused patients?
At Nace Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, we create a confidential and trusting environment where you can explain what happened without fear. Our team works to protect your privacy throughout the legal proceedings. We also help address your concerns that doctors are considered respected when they shouldn’t be, and they will hire expensive lawyers to defend them.
We work with medical professionals who can explain (in reports and before juries) how a medical provider crossed the line of acceptable medical care, such as by showing how your medical exam deviated from acceptable medical standards.
Our lawyers prepare each part of your case for trial. While your case may settle, we must be ready to try your case before a judge and jury.
What is the timeline for filing a sexual abuse claim in Washington, DC?
Don’t wait. Please contact us as soon as you can to protect your rights or the rights of your child to file a legal claim and to help ensure that you/your child is receiving the medical care they need.
Each case is different. Generally, in Washington, DC, according to the Council for the District of Columbia, the statute of limitations for civil claims based on sexual abuse against physicians, hospitals, and other medical providers is as follows:
- If the victim was less than 35 years of age
- When the sexual abuse occurred, the sexual abuse claim must be filed when the victim turns 40 years old, or within 5 years from when the victim knew, or reasonably should have known, of any act constituting sexual abuse, whichever is later.
- If the victim was 35 years of age or older
- Within 5 years, or 5 years from when the victim knew, or reasonably should have known, of any act constituting sexual abuse, whichever is later.
Please contact us to discuss the specific notice and lawsuit timelines for your case (or your child’s case).
Claims against the District of Columbia generally require notice within six months under DC law, while claims against federal entities (such as VA hospitals) are governed by the Federal Tort Claims Act, which has different time requirements, which we’ll explain.
What resources are available in Washington, DC, for the sexual abuse of patients?
A few Washington, DC resources for patients who have experienced sexual abuse, assault, or misconduct in a healthcare setting include the following:
- Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. This link includes departmental resources, liaison units, and information about reporting sexual assault, along with national resources (i.e. RAINN), local resources (including the DC Child and Family Services Agency), financial assistance resources, deaf and hard-of-hearing sexual assault resources, and more.
- DC Coalition to End Sexual Violence. This organization provides a DC victims’ hotline, frequently asked questions, and additional support services.
- The DC Rape Crisis Center.
- DC Forensic Nurse Examiners.
Do you have a Washington, DC law for sexual abuse by doctors or other healthcare providers near me?
Yes, we do. Our Washington, DC office is just a few minutes from The Washington Harbour in Georgetown. We’re located at 1025 Thomas Jefferson St NW #810, Washington, D.C. 20007. Our sexual abuse lawyers also consult with clients by phone and through online video. When necessary, we can make alternative arrangements to meet you.
We’re available to answer your questions, explain your rights, and seek the full compensation you deserve.
Get help from our Washington, DC, patient sexual abuse lawyers now
It’s important to hold doctors and other medical professionals accountable. Accountability provides the compensation you need to address the trauma of sexual abuse. Compensation also helps you regain the confidence you need to address the underlying medical problems you have (the reasons you sought medical care in the first place).
Additionally, accountability helps patients obtain justice and helps protect other patients from sexual abuse.
Our Washington, DC sexual abuse attorneys have the experience and resources to hold unconscionable medical providers liable. Call Nace Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We’re ready to protect your future now.