Legal help for athlete-survivors of sexual abuse in sports
Sexual abuse can happen to male and female athletes of all ages. Reports of sexual abuse in sports include pre-teen adolescents up to young adult athletes. Sexual abuse in organized sports can occur on the high school, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels. Sexual abuse includes any kind of inappropriate touching, sexual suggestions, sharing or taking inappropriate photos or videos, or exposing oneself to a patient athlete. While coaches and doctors do hold a position of authority for athletes, they do not have the right to force sexual contact on an athlete in exchange for allowing them to play their sport.
The trauma a survivor of sexual abuse goes through can cause severe emotional and psychological problems including anxiety, depression- including suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is imperative that survivors seek the help of mental health professionals who can provide therapies to set them on a path to healing.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETE SEXUAL ABUSE
As of May 2019, nearly 200 men have come forward to report that former Ohio State University sports doctor Richard Strauss sexually abused them while they participated in sports for the university. These claims have prompted a lawsuit against the Ohio State University and Strauss, who committed suicide in 2005. The lawsuit alleges 1,500 to 2,500 male students were sexually assaulted, abused, molested and/or harassed by Strauss during his 20 year tenure at the university and that university officials were aware of the abuse but did not take action to prevent future incidents of abuse. Strauss was eventually removed from athletic and student clinic posts in 1996 following a university investigation into reports of misconduct by three patients at the clinic.
One report indicated as many as 5,000 former athletes across 15 different varsity sports , as well as non-athlete students who visited the university’s health center may have all been treated by Strauss. Claims are currently being filed and survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Richard Strauss are urged to come forward to get justice and help in healing from the trauma.
Help for athletes who have experienced sexual abuse
If you or someone you care about was sexually molested, assaulted or abused by a coach, trainer or physician, contact us. Our attorneys have experience handling sexual abuse claims against schools, organizations and groups and can help you on the path to healing. We understand the sensitive nature of this type of lawsuit and prioritize our clients’ privacy and trust while fighting to get them the compensation they need to assist them in healing and coping with sexual abuse.
Help for survivors of other types of sexual abuse
We are proud to help families heal through the legal pursuit of sexual abuse claims. We have investigated and/or helped sexual abuse survivors in a variety of claims.