Sexual abuse & assault
Sexual abuse / assault
Tell us what happened and where. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing on this page predicts what any case is worth.
What should I know before making a sexual abuse / assault report?
That you decide what to share and when, and that nothing here is sent anywhere until you choose to send it. What tends to matter is when it happened, where, who was responsible, and whether any institution knew or should have known. Records, witnesses and earlier complaints can all matter. These cases are handled by attorneys who do this work specifically, and the first step is a private conversation, not a form.
One reported example: $20,000,000 — Civil settlement disclosed in testimony concerning Cassie Ventura’s allegations against Sean Combs
Capture the scene and your recovery
You do not have to write anything you are not ready to write. If and when you can, note the dates, the places and who else knew or was told. Keep any messages or reports. Nothing here needs to be complete, and support services can help before any legal step.
Record what you know without guessing at fault. If you are unsure about something, write down that you are unsure — that is more useful later than a confident guess, and nobody expects you to have a complete account.
What tends to decide cases like this
Time limits for these claims have changed in many states, and in some they have been reopened for periods that had long since expired. It is worth asking even about something that happened many years ago. Nothing has to be described in detail to begin a conversation, and support services can be involved before any legal step is taken.
What can affect a claim like this
The evidence, the law that applies where it happened, the deadlines that apply to that kind of claim, and the circumstances all matter. Someone else’s result does not determine yours, and no figure on this site is a prediction for any case.
An attorney looks at how serious the injury is and how clearly it is documented, what care has been needed, whether the effects are expected to last, what income has been lost, who was responsible and what evidence shows it. Where responsibility is shared, how that is treated differs from state to state.
How to start
Choose sexual abuse / assault in the form, add the state and city where it happened, and tell us how to reach you. It takes about a minute, nothing is sent until you press send, and you can stop at any point. Find A Tough Lawyer is a legal media and lead-generation service, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice.
Check your case factors — five questions, nothing sent
Can these settlements predict my result?
No. Any figure below is one case, reported by the source named beneath it. They are other people’s cases — not our results, not typical, and not a prediction for anyone else. What a particular claim is worth depends on the evidence, responsibility, treatment, losses, future needs, insurance and the law of that state.
Published settlement context
162 survivors — Strauss-related claims against Ohio State
$40,913,265Settlement fund for 162 survivors across 12 lawsuits involving sexual abuse by Richard Strauss.
Group settlement — excluded from individual ranges · May 8, 2020. University is a party to the settlement, not an independent reporter. Individual allocations vary. Administrative funding is separate; no per-person average is inferred.
Reported 2020-05-08
Source: Ohio State University — official announcement (opens in a new tab)Civil settlement disclosed in testimony concerning Cassie Ventura’s allegations…
$20,000,000Civil settlement disclosed in testimony concerning Cassie Ventura’s allegations against Sean Combs.
Reported settlement · 2025. Reported whole-case settlement of multiple allegations; not a typical recovery.
Reported 2025
Source: Associated Press (opens in a new tab)Two employees’ claims against 99 Cents Only Stores and an individual respondent
$1,225,000Redding employees alleged supervisor sexual assault, harassment and retaliation.
Group settlement — excluded from individual ranges · September 17, 2019. Combined payment to complainants and the state agency; not an individual award. Precise release amount is $1,225,000.
Reported 2019-09-17
Source: California DFEH / Civil Rights Department — official release (opens in a new tab)Free case evaluation
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