His clients call Michael Lamonsoff “The Bull” because he never stops fighting for them. Thanks to “The Bull” and his team of top-rated litigators, the Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff, PLLC., is consistently rated as one of the top personal injury law firms in New York City.
Sexual Abuse Lawyer New York City
A message from New York City Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawyers: Sexual Predators, Time is Up!
One of New York’s highest-rated personal injury attorneys, Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. has spent more than 25 years winning cases on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse, including rape, sexual assault, sexual molestation, and improper touching. With the recent passage of The Adult Survivor’s Act of 2022, on the heels of the Child Victim’s Act of 2019, the firm now has new and powerful weaponry to bring lawsuits against perpetrators and the institutions that harbored them regardless of the passage of time since the crime was committed. These powerful tools help him fight for the rights of his clients as a top sexual abuse and sexual assault lawyer in New York.
On May 24, 2022, New York State passed the Adult Survivors Act(S66). The ASA provides a limited window until November 23, 2023, allowing survivors of sexual assault who were 18 years old or older at the time of the occurrence to bring lawsuits for the offense regardless of how long ago it was committed. The law in effect, overrides the current shortened State statute of limitations and allows survivors to bring a lawsuit against the perpetrator and any institutions and/or employers that knew or should have known that the sexual assault and abuse was taking place. Some of the common examples are universities or colleges, hospitals, counselors, coaches and doctors.
This long-overdue Statute recognizes that many sexual assault survivors are reluctant to report and/or act on the event because of shame, guilt, the fear of being stigmatized, re-experiencing the event, and depression, amongst other painful feelings. Accordingly, the ASA eliminates the statute of limitations allowing survivors to file claims that would have otherwise been time-barred. The resulting lawsuits empower those who were rendered powerless by their assailants. It allows for survivors who were emotionally unprepared to come forward, to finally seek closure by action. If you're looking for more information on contacting an Adult Survivors Act lawyer in New York City, please visit this page.
- Encourages survivors to file a claim for money damages not just against their abusers, but also against any public and private institutions that could have prevented the abuse and failed to do so.
- Provides survivors of child sexual abuse, a one-year, one-time-only period in which to bring a civil action regardless of how long ago the child sexual abuse occurred or how old they currently are. The one-year period ended on August 13th, 2021.
- Extends New York’s statutes of limitations for survivors of child sexual abuse.
- Gives survivors until their 28th birthday to bring criminal charges against their sexual abusers.
- Allows survivors to bring civil action any time before they turn 55.
If you're looking to contact a Child Victims Act lawyer in New York City, you can reach out to us to set up a free virtual or telephone consultation.
Steps to Take After Sexual Assault
New York sexual abuse attorney Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. recommends five important steps that every sexual assault or sexual abuse survivor should take as soon as they can:
Step # 1: Move to a Safe Place
Depending on your age and the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault incident, your first priority should be to move to a safe place. Survivors often experience shock, get overwhelmed, or go through a temporary sense of de-realization or denial. But as far as possible, the first step should be to calm down, move away from a lonely place, and not wander in isolation in order to avoid the danger of another encounter with the assaulter.
Step # 2: Confide in a Trusted Person
According to attorney Lamonsoff, one of the first coping mechanisms in the aftermath of a sexual assault may be to reach out for support and confide in someone who can be completed trusted. You may want to call a trusted family member or a close friend to seek immediate physical and emotional support.
Step # 3: Seek Timely Medical Attention
It’s best to visit an Emergency Room or a medical center equipped to handle sexual assault related medical cases. A medical professional will examine and treat your physical injuries, and if necessary, they may give you medications or other medical support to keep your relaxed. The hospital may also provide you with a sexual assault forensic exam kit (“rape kit”), which can be used to collect bodily forensic evidence and DNA samples. Seek medical attention as soon as you are able to.
Step # 4: Process the Traumatic Experience
Survivors may often try to avoid processing the traumatic experience they have gone through. But avoidance does not lead to healing. Medical support, professional therapy and counseling, and support groups may be helpful in dealing with the damaging psychological and emotional effects of the incident. Support from trusted family and friends combined with professional support can help in processing and coping with your emotions.
Step # 5: Contact the Law Offices of Attorney Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq.
Even if you feel you are not prepared to file a police report right away, or you are worried about the social impact (particularly if the sexual offender is someone known to you or is a prominent member of the community), or you fear retaliation (if the assaulter is in a position of authority or power, such as an employer), it is still prudent to seek private, confidential and free legal advice from accomplished sexual abuse lawyer Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. in New York.
Mr. Lamonsoff and his legal team will listen to your situation and discuss your best legal options according to your needs. If you are ready to file a police report, Mr. Lamonsoff will help ensure that bodily forensic evidence is collected as soon as possible or is frozen and stored at the medical center for future access.
You will feel empowered when you have the full force of the law behind you and an aggressive yet compassionate attorney Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. who will leave no stone unturned to get you justice and the financial compensation you rightfully deserve.
The Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. is Uniquely Qualified to bring lawsuits against Sexual Predators
Mr. Lamonsoff, a top sexual assault lawyer in New York, understands that winning justice for a sexual assault survivor requires not just legal expertise. It also demands a compassionate understanding of the traumatic and long-lasting effects that sexual assault can have on the spirit and mental condition of a survivor.
Long before becoming an attorney, Mr. Lamonsoff earned both Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees in psychology from Columbia University. During his post-graduate work and thereafter as a therapist, Mr. Lamonsoff was also trained on how to counsel survivors of sexual abuse.
Mr. Lamonsoff is not just a fighter willing and able to take all of the necessary legal steps to win his clients’ battles. He is also uniquely qualified to understand with compassion how to help survivors of sexual abuse tell their stories, fight the sexual abusers, and get some form of closure for them.
Mr. Lamonsoff meticulously handpicked a team of attorneys that comprise the Sexual Abuse Unit at the firm. The team includes several experienced and battle-proven former prosecutors. They were selected because of their successful conviction and imprisonment of sexual predators.
The team has succeeded in getting sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors the highest possible awards in their lawsuits while securing them a sense of justice and closure for the terrors they have endured.
“The key to winning a verdict for survivors of sexual abuse is to understand the psychology of both your client and sexual predator.”
Our results: $16 million verdict against the New York City Board of Education for sexual abuse by a New York City teacher
Mr. Lamonsoff, Esq. and the top sexual abuse lawyers at his law firm in New York won a record-breaking $16 million verdict on behalf of a child who was sexually molested by her teacher at a New York City school.
The win came after a hard-fought litigation battle, characterized by an arrogant refusal by the attorneys for the City to offer any reasonable settlement to Mr. Lamonsoff’s client prior to trial.
After originally starting with $150,000, the City essentially made a mere $350,000 offer to settle the case just before the jury was sent out to deliberate. Upon advice and consent of his clients, Mr. Lamonsoff rejected the City’s offer.
Mr. Lamonsoff and his clients wanted the City punished for their arrogance and to help prevent other children from facing this horrible crime. After a relatively short deliberation, the jury found that the Board of Education acted with reckless disregard for the child entrusted to their care and awarded one of the highest verdicts in New York’s history.
The verdict will never change what happened, and no amount of money will ever compensate this little girl for the horror she went through.
New laws offer help for sexual abuse & assault survivors
In New York, we are working hard to help sexual abuse victims receive justice. New laws enacted make it easier for sexual assault victims to press both criminal and civil charges.
In addition, these laws provide survivors of second- and third-degree rape with additional time to file both criminal charges against the abuser and civil actions against the predator and private or public institutions potentially liable for the act.
Damages For Sexual Abuse
New York sexual assault attorney Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. is determined to pursue maximum possible financial compensation for every victim of sexual abuse or sexual assault. We will work hard to establish a case for the following damages:
Economic Damages: Medical bills, physical therapy, professional counseling, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), rehabilitation costs, costs related to full or partial disability, current and future loss of income because of injuries or mental distress, relevant transportation costs, assistive devices, and any other associated financial costs may be a part of economic damages.
Non-economic Damages: Compensation for pain and suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress occurring as a result of the incidence of sexual abuse or sexual assault. Attorney Lamonsoff will aim to establish damages with medical evidence and third party expert testimonies if needed to obtain the largest possible compensation.
Punitive Damages: If the act of sexual abuse or sexual assault was particularly egregious or heinous in nature, attorney Lamonsoff will also seek to establish a case for punitive damages (exemplary damage) so that the victim is rightfully compensated for the extreme physical and mental trauma they have suffered.
How to Prove Sexual Assault
In New York, when you file a civil suit for financial damages against a defendant for sexual abuse or sexual assault, the burden of proof lies on you. It means, proving their fault is your responsibility as a plaintiff (or the victim of sexual assault).
You need a highly rated sexual assault attorney such as Mr. Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq., who has thorough knowledge of the law and extensive courtroom experience to convince a judge or jury on your behalf it is more likely than not that the defendant committed sexual abuse or assault against you.
$16,000,000 Verdict Awarded to a Victim of Sexual Abuse
$12,157,000 Settlement in a Train Derailment Case
$11,750,000 Awarded to a Victim of Wrongful Conviction
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$6,500,000 Settlement in a Construction Accident Case
$5,500,000 Verdict Awarded in a Construction Accident Case
$4,750,000 Awarded to an Injured Construction Worker
$4,100,000 Settlement in a Construction Accident Case
$4,000,000 Awarded to Families of Flight 587 Victims
Find an attorney that you can talk to about the abuse
While it is often tough for survivors of violent attacks or injuries to process and communicate their trauma, it can be especially difficult for victims of sexual molestation or abuse to open up about their trauma. And it ultimately may seem unimaginable for the victims abused as children to speak up and face the ones that injured them.
Under these circumstances, sexual abuse survivors need a sexual abuse lawyer in NYC who will understand, approach the matter 100% on their side, with no holds barred, and ready to fight for justice. Michael S. Lamonsoff, Esq. is just that attorney.
If you or a loved one have suffered sexual abuse or sexual assault of any kind, sexual abuse and assault lawyers with The Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff, PLLC are ready to discuss your case and explain your options.