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Attorney at Law Magazine
Ready to hire a sex abuse lawyer? Contact our confidential hotline for victims of sex abuse at (301)547-7664. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you today.
Tragically, Backbone youth center in Western Maryland was reported to have the highest sex abuse rates in the entirety of the United States and allowed for systemic sexual abuse against children to occur for decades.
36.4% of interviewed children that had been at the Swanton, MD center reported being abused in a study conducted by the U.S. Justice Department, which was the largest percentage out of 195 juvenile correction facilities assessed nationwide.
If you or a loved one were victims of sexual abuse at BMYC, you’re not alone. Lawsuits are being filed to get victims justice against their abusers and a facility that allowed sexual predators to abuse minors under their watch. But what steps do you need to take to take legal action? Will it be a burdensome expense to pay a sex abuse attorney? And have the statutes of limitation expired? Here’s everything to know about taking legal action against Backbone Mountain.
Maryland passed the Child Victims Act of 2023 to remove the statute of limitations for pursuing legal action against sexual abusers of children with civil lawsuits. With an unlimited lookback period as of October, 2023, abuse victims who were abused at any time while staying at Backbone Mountain Youth Center are entitled to financial compensation from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
Ready to hire a sex abuse lawyer? Contact our confidential hotline for victims of sex abuse at (301)547-7664. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you today.
Attorneys are filing tort lawsuits against the Maryland state government department that managed Backbone Mountain Youth Center for allowing systemic abuse of children to occur for decades.
You deserve justice for your abuse. Here are the steps you need to take to get financial compensation from BMYC:
If you were abused at BMYC, you are entitled to file a civil suit to get compensation. Call a qualified sex abuse attorney that is committed to hearing your story, explaining how the legal process works in Maryland, and bringing your court case forward with the objective of earning you a hefty payout from the Maryland state government.
Commonly, child abuse attorneys will work on contingency, meaning you won’t be charged upfront to bring your case forward and that your attorney will only be paid if they succeed in getting you a settlement.
Ready to hire a sex abuse lawyer? Contact our confidential hotline for victims of sex abuse at (301)547-7664. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you today.
After you explain the full circumstances of your abuse at Backbone youth center to the attorney, they will file a complaint on your behalf. This complaint will explain the systemic behavior at BMYC that allowed for sexual abuse to occur and the damages being sought.
After the defendant, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, is made aware of your civil lawsuit, they will move forward with the discovery process. Typically, a defendant will move to settle the case before it goes to trial.
If the MDJS proposes an offer that the victim and their attorney approve of, the case will be settled and the victim will be compensated. Settlement time frames vary drastically, but commonly take a few months to several years. If no settlement is reached, the civil lawsuit will go to trial.
Every sex abuse lawsuit is different, and the exact amount you can expect to receive is highly dependent on the circumstances of the abuse. Eligible damages to pursue legal action include
Many national sex abuse cases have resulted in multi-million dollar settlements for child abuse victims. The Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 has no cap on economic damages and up to $890,000 for non-economic damages like pain and suffering, meaning the state has taken progressive action to give victims the chance to get compensation for their lifelong struggles due to abuse.
Ready to hire a sex abuse lawyer? Contact our confidential hotline for victims of sex abuse at (301)547-7664. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you today.
BMYC owes its victims for the ongoing consequences victims face as a result of their rampant systemic abuse. If you were sexually assaulted as a child at their Garrett County facility, you’re owed compensation.
To work with an experienced and supportive attorney that is willing to work for free until you get your much deserved settlement, book a call today.
The state of Maryland is making it easier for child abuse victims from any time period to get justice by eliminating statutes of limitations for child abuse victims to pursue civil lawsuits and increasing the amount of non-economic compensation their allowed to receive. The Child Victims Act allows BMYC victims from the 1960s onwards to pursue legal action and greatly expands the amount of financial compensation victims are eligible to receive.
BMYC victims don’t need to worry about being financially burdened paying an attorney while suing the Maryland Dept. of Justice Services. Sex abuse attorneys are sympathetic to abuse victims’ stories, and are often willing to work on contingency.
Contingency is an agreement that the attorney gets a percentage of the settlement amount when the case is settled. That means you’ll have 0 upfront costs, and will only have to pay an attorney if they get you a settlement amount that you’re happy with.
Ready to hire a sex abuse lawyer? Contact our confidential hotline for victims of sex abuse at (301)547-7664. Or complete the form below and we’ll connect you today.
The Backbone youth center is a facility in Swanton, MD that opened in 1966 that today functions as a court-ordered treatment facility for juveniles. After the U.S. Justice Department performed an assessment of 195 nationwide juvenile facility, it found that an astonishing 4 out of 11 youths that were living at the Garrett County facility experienced sexual abuse.
In light of this report, sex abuse victims continue to come forward and pursue legal action against the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, which is the Maryland state department that operates the facility.
Attorney at Law Magazine is a national B2B trade publication for and about private practice attorneys. The magazine focuses on the industry, its events, happenings and the professionals and firms that drive its success. The editorial is a collaboration of interviews with professionals, industry expert penned columns and articles about advancing your legal practice through marketing, practice management and customer service.
