Filing a lawsuit against a preschool that allowed your child to be abused is one option for the families that are victimized. There are good reasons to consider doing so and they’re not cynical ones. The money that families get from these settlements and jury awards can be used to help children recover from what they’ve been through and, in some cases, that may be a very long process.
Criminal vs. Civil Cases
If abuse of any kind is discovered at a preschool, it’s likely that someone is going to be facing criminal charges. The abuser and, possibly, other people may be charged as part of the criminal case. They may end up getting hefty jail sentences and other punishments and, of course, they won’t be allowed near children again. This may serve the needs of justice, but it doesn’t really do anything at all for the family that’s been victimized.
Filing a lawsuit isn’t a way of punishing someone, though it does sometimes have an element of that to it. Filing a lawsuit is about getting help for the family that has been injured by someone who was negligent in one regard or another. In the case of abuse at preschool or daycare facilities, it’s usually the administration that’s negligent. There may be other parties involved, as well.
The preschool abuse lawyer will help to determine where blame may be placed. In some cases, they may go after a company that runs a daycare or preschool or some other entity, but they’ll make sure that any negligence is found out and that anyone responsible for it is identified as being so.
The attorney may be able to win a jury award or a settlement. There’s no guarantee that they can win and there’s no way of knowing whether a jury will award any or all of the money being sent. A good lawyer can make sure you have the best possible chances, however.
Talking to a lawyer is usually free. If you sit down with one, they may be able to help you to determine whether or not to pursue a lawsuit. The lawyer will not take a claim if they feel it’s going to lose. The way good preschool abuse attorneys work means that they don’t get paid unless they win, so there’s no motivation for them to take a case unless they think they can win it.