Sexual Abuse / Molestation: We take a personal interest in fighting for victims

Sanford Jossen has been litigating child molestation and sexual abuse cases of all kinds since 1987. We have handled many cases against governmental entities such as school districts, private schools, hospitals, mental health facilities, board and care facilities, daycare facilities, foster homes and other entities. These cases require specialized knowledge of laws which regulate these facilities.

We have no fear about taking on any governmental adversary in making or litigating a claim.

We work with professionals who specialize in treating children who have had these horrendous experiences. We do everything to protect children while we diligently assert the child’s claim and maximize the recovery.

Sanford Jossen spent 10 years on the Judicial Task Force for Tort reform of the Dependency [Juvenile] Court  and helped write the current policy in effect which administers the handling of tort claims on behalf of children in the foster care system. Further, Mr. Jossen has served as a Referee hearing cases in every branch court in the Los Angeles Juvenile Court system including both Dependency [foster children] and Delinquency. This gives Mr. Jossen a uniquely knowledgeable insight into the Court system for all children.

Many claims on behalf of children under the jurisdiction of the Dependency Court involve government claims. We have handled probably several hundred claims involving governmental claims. These include claims against the County of Los Angeles-Department of Children and Family Services, the State of California, the State of California Small Family and Foster Family Home Insurance Fund, numerous Unified School Districts, Hospitals, Group Homes, foster homes, pre-schools, Small Family and Foster Family Homes licensed by the State of California as well as private entities.

The government claim filing procedure is an extremely complex one and is usually not something a general personal injury attorney handling car accidents would be familiar with. A government claim under California law must be filed within 6 months. In the case of a child under the jurisdiction of the Dependency Court, the statute is tolled under a Guardian ad Litem is appointed. In other case, the statute runs. If a claim is not filed within 6 months, an Application for Leave to File a Late Claim must be filed with the appropriate governmental entity within 1 year of the incident. If this is denied, a Petition for Relief from Government Claims Filing Procedures must be filed with the Court. It is good practice to file this Petition within one year of the incident. These claim forms are extremely technical as your claim may be limited by the claims in the claim form. My firm is experienced in handling these claims.

Another specialized aspect of sexual molestation claims is damages. What consequences has the child suffered as a result of the abuse or molestation? Usually, a child will require mental health counseling to deal initially with the event. Many children suppress their feelings. Most children will require future mental health counseling as well. Often, there are other issues in the child’s life. It takes an experienced attorney to understand and know how to deal with other issues in a child’s life in order to minimize the “damaged child” defense and to maximize the child’s recovery. Please note we do NOT handle cases regarding Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

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