Long Island Sexual Assault Case Study Overview
This case study highlights the sexual abuse that a client suffered at the hands of a lawyer at a different law firm. It is important to note the kinds of injuries that the client sustained and how those damages were documented. If you or a loved one suffered from sexual assault, reach out to one of our compassionate lawyers. Let us help you with your recovery.
The Sexual Assault Incident
The client was an aspiring musician in their twenties and was consulting with a well-known entertainment attorney in Manhattan. During one of their meetings, the attorney started making sexual overtures to the client, which were resisted. The lawyer then forcefully touched the person, held them down, and partially removed their clothing, thereby committing ethical violations and as well as criminal violations. At some point, the client was able to break free and escape.
Physical and Emotional Injuries
A person’s negligent or malicious actions can result in either physical or mental injuries such as broken bones or post-traumatic stress disorder. In this case, sexual assault caused both physical and emotional injuries. Emotional trauma is mental or emotional consequence resulting from an incident. Sexual assault and rape involve a person doing something against someone else’s will by force to hurt them and can lead to both physical and emotional trauma.
Following the incident, the client went to an emergency room where they had a rape test done, and a psychologist later helped attorneys understand the trauma that the client went through. The client was completely traumatized because they did not understand why someone would break the mutual trust they had. The client’s physical trauma came from having someone forcefully take control of their body without consent, and their emotional trauma came from fear. The assailant touched the victim, physically violated them, and inflicted a physical injury to the extent of either hurting or making a person uncomfortable. The psychologist also found that the assailant also inflicted non-physical injuries such as emotional trauma, depression, anger, and fear. Fortunately for the client, there were no long-lasting physical injuries.
The hospital recorded what happened as well as whatever testing took place in the emergency room. The records from the psychologist and the hospital were put into writing, and a narrative report documenting the course of treatment and prognosis of the client’s condition was obtained.