Calling a lawyer after sexual abuse on campus can feel overwhelming, especially if a school process has already left you frustrated. It helps to know what actually happens. Nothing is set in motion by asking a question, and every decision stays yours.
You do not need to have reported the abuse to police, and nobody needs to have been charged. A civil claim asks what the college or university knew, what it should have known, and what it did. Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane (Illinois bar registration 6319808, admitted 2014), reviews these cases.
Step one: you speak to a person
Not a form and not an intake script. You do not have to describe what happened in order to have the conversation.
Step two: we look into who had a duty
We look at which institution was responsible, what it knew, what records exist, and whether a claim can still be brought. That work costs you nothing.
For a campus case, that includes sorting out the two separate paths. Title IX governs how a federally funded school responds to a report, and it can support a lawsuit for damages where the school knew and responded with deliberate indifference. A state-law civil claim seeks compensation for the harm itself. You can have one, the other, or both.
It also includes identifying the type of school. Where the institution is a state university, a state-law claim runs against its board in the Illinois Court of Claims. Where it is a community college, the Illinois Tort Immunity Act applies. Where it is private, neither applies, and the liability questions are the ordinary institutional ones.
These claims are usually brought against the college or university, not only against the individual. Institutional response failure is the theory that most often carries them, though several usually run together, depending on your facts.
Step three: you decide
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.
Step four: if you go ahead, we carry it
We handle the filings, deadlines, records, and the institution's insurers. Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record, and we explain them before anything is filed.
Common Questions Around the First Call
Will my name be public? Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record. We explain them before anything is filed.
The person who did it has died. A claim can still proceed. It is usually brought against the institution that placed that person in a position of trust.
I am asking for someone else. That is fine and it happens often. The person involved has no obligation to do anything.
Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review or visit https://survivorsofabuseil.com/title-ix-sexual-abuse-lawyer-il/ to learn more.
