When a child is abused at an Illinois public school, the case runs into the Illinois Tort Immunity Act, with its immunities and notice requirements. Claims against private boarding schools are different. Private boarding schools are not public bodies, so the Tort Immunity Act does not apply.
The responsible body in a boarding school case is usually a private organization. The Tort Immunity rules that govern claims against Illinois public bodies do not apply in the same way, and the liability questions are the ordinary institutional ones.
You do not need to have reported the abuse, and nobody needs to have been charged. Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane (Illinois bar registration 6319808, admitted 2014), reviews these cases.
The ordinary institutional questions
A civil claim asks a different question from a criminal case. It looks at what the school knew, what it should have known, and what it did. These claims are usually brought against the school, rather than only against the individual.
The theory that most often carries them is negligent supervision. In practice, several theories run together, and which fits is a question about your facts rather than a category.
Why boarding schools raise particular concerns
Residential schooling removes the ordinary safeguard of going home at the end of the day. Supervision is continuous, and so is exposure, and a child has nobody outside to tell.
Private boarding schools are often long-established institutions with decades of internal records. Those records are often how these cases are built.
Common Questions Around Private Boarding School Claims
It was a long time ago. That is the norm in this work rather than the exception. What governs it is your age at the time, who was responsible, and the particular facts.
What does it cost? Nothing up front. These cases are taken on a contingency fee, so there is no fee if there is no recovery.
What if I only remember part of it? That is ordinary. These cases are built from institutional records rather than from a complete account.
What happens when you contact us
Asking a question does not start anything. You speak with a person, not a form, and you do not have to describe what happened. We look into which institution was responsible, what it knew, what records exist, and whether a claim can still be brought. That work costs you nothing.
We tell you plainly what is possible. If you decide not to go ahead, that is the end of it, and what you told us stays confidential. If you go ahead, we carry the filings, deadlines, records, and insurers, and steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record.
Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review. To learn more you can visit: https://survivorsofabuseil.com/boarding-school-sexual-abuse-lawyer-il/
