Victims of especially heinous crimes such as rape, child molestation, forcible sodomy and sexual battery have a legal option – in addition to pursuing criminal charges – to file a civil lawsuit. Crime victims have the right to file a civil lawsuit seeking financial compensation from the person who committed the crime or from other parties whose unreasonable conduct permitted conditions that allowed the crime to occur.
Examples Of When A Civil Lawsuit Can Be Filed
As painful as it is to discuss, criminal activity happens every day in Oklahoma, and in every other state. Sometimes, people we trust make vile choices that destroy lives. Some victims of these crimes include:
- A toddler was sexually abused at a daycare by a teacher
- A teenage girl was groomed for a sexual relationship by a church minister
- A young boy was forced to perform oral sex on a youth leader
- A troubled teen was sodomized by other teens at a shelter
- A foster child who was placed in an abusive home where the foster parents murdered the child
- A young woman who was trapped in the world of pornography
- A patient – male or female – who was inappropriately touched during a medical exam
Victims of Crimes Deserve Compensation For The Harms They Have Suffered
One of the ways Carr & Carr helps victims is through our affiliation with The National Crime Victim Bar Association. Attorney Laurie Koller is a member of this professional organization that strives to give a voice to crime victims. Additionally, she is an active member of The National Crime Victim Bar Association Advisory Board. Founded in 1999, the NCVBA partners with attorneys and expert witnesses to help the victims of crime seek justice through the civil system.
Many of the people who benefit from the NCVBA’s help are victims of:
- Wrecks caused by drunk driving
- Sexual assault
- Sexual molestation
- Inadequate security
- Negligent hiring
- School or campus violence
- Dram shop violations — Dram shop is a legal term in the United States referring to a bar, tavern or the like where alcoholic beverages are sold. Traditionally, it referred to a shop where spirits were sold by the dram, a small unit of liquid.
The NCVBA has published an extremely helpful brochure: Civil Justice for Victims of Crime in Oklahoma. Please download it and talk with Attorney Laurie Koller if you have any questions.
Third Parties May Be Responsible
In some civil cases, “third parties” may be held accountable for the crime. A third party, which would be the defendant in a civil case, is not the person who actually committed the crime but is the person or organization that contributed to the crime. Some examples of liable third parties are:
- Liquor store owners who sell alcohol to minors who injure others or themselves in a car wreck
- Shopping malls that don’t have security guards or other safety measures in place, despite the likelihood of criminal attacks on its customers
- Childcare centers, schools and churches who don’t protect children from abuse
- Landlords who don’t provide adequate security, causing tenants to be attacked because there were no locks on doors or windows
- Colleges that fail to communicate known campus assaults, leaving students more vulnerable to attacks
- Adults who allow children access to guns or other dangerous products, when the children use these weapons to hurt others
Carr & Carr’s involvement with the NCVBA puts us in a unique position to help those who have suffered as the result of a crime. Each and every member of our caring staff will do everything we can to get the compensation you deserve. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a crime, don’t wait – email Carr & Carr today or call us at 1-866-510-0580. We have offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, plus Springdale in Northwest Arkansas, so can help you no matter where in the region you live.
