If you have recently been the victim of a sexual assault, you may feel understandably overwhelmed by the whole unfortunate situation. And while you may be counting on the criminal court system to provide you with the justice and the sense of relief that you need through the knowledge that the person who did this to you will pay for their crimes, this is not always what happens in the criminal-justice system. However, what you may not know about are the options available to you in civil court. Get to know more about filing a civil lawsuit after you have been the victim of sexual assault so that you can better understand your options and contact a personal-injury attorney as soon as possible if this is the right option for you.

Civil Cases Can Provide You with Monetary Compensation

While the criminal case brought against the person who assaulted you can result in jail time and other such punishments, it cannot compensate you financially for what you have gone through as a sexual-assault victim. For example, your visit to the hospital or clinic after the assault to report the assault as well as get treated for any injuries would involve financial costs. So too would follow-up exams and the testing for sexually transmitted infections that you would need to undergo over the course of several months following the incident (up to six months to be certain that HIV was not contracted during the incident).

And, of course, you may have also missed work due to the physical and mental effects of the incident, and this likely would have resulted in a loss of income for those days missed. Mental health and trauma therapy as well as any continued medical care, medications, and the like necessary due to the incident would also be examples of financial costs that you could seek compensation for following your assault. If you have numerous medical bills and expenses as a result of the sexual assault that you feel the offending party should be held accountable for, the only way to achieve that goal is through a civil lawsuit with the help of a personal-injury attorney. 

You Can File a Civil Lawsuit Against a Third Party Too

The civil court system operates differently than the criminal court system. In civil court, you can sue (i.e., pursue a case against) a third party that may have been in some way at fault for the incident even if they did not physically assault you. For instance, if there was another party there that was witness to the incident or who was complicit in allowing the assault to occur, you could theoretically pursue a civil lawsuit against them as well as the person who sexually assaulted you.

This allows you to pursue cases against people involved in the sexual-assault incident that you may not have been able to charge in criminal court. You and your personal-injury lawyer will be able to determine which parties may be partially liable for the horrible incident that you suffered from so that you can at least get some compensation and justice.

If you are ready to pursue a civil lawsuit following your sexual assault, the next step will be to contact a personal-injury lawyer as soon as possible to begin the filing process and to build a case against the parties involved. Visit sites such as http://leifericksonlawoffice.com to find personal-injury lawyers in your area.