If your child was sexually abused in an athletic program, your child’s safety and well-being should come first. If there is any immediate danger, contact emergency services or local authorities right away.

You may also want to seek support from a trusted medical provider, therapist, counselor, or victim advocate. Abuse by a coach, trainer, teammate, staff member, or other trusted adult can be deeply traumatic, and your child deserves care and support.

If possible, preserve anything that may help document what happened, including text messages, emails, photos, team communications, incident reports, schedules, names of witnesses, or any prior complaints made to the program.

You do not have to handle this alone. An attorney can help your family understand your rights, protect your privacy, and determine whether the athletic program or organization may be legally responsible.

An athletic program may be held responsible if it failed to protect a child from sexual abuse. These cases may involve schools, sports clubs, gyms, camps, travel teams, leagues, universities, or other organizations responsible for supervising athletes.

A program may be liable if it failed to properly screen, train, supervise, or remove a coach, trainer, staff member, volunteer, or other person who had access to children.

Athletic programs may also be responsible if they ignored warning signs, failed to investigate complaints, allowed unsafe one-on-one access, or prioritized the reputation of the team or organization over the safety of athletes.

Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not come forward right away. This is especially common when the abuser was someone in a position of trust or authority, such as a coach, trainer, or athletic staff member.

Even if the abuse happened years ago, you or your child may still have legal options. Some states have extended deadlines or special legal windows that allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse to bring claims after the standard deadline has passed.

Because these laws vary by state, speaking with an attorney can help you understand whether a claim may still be possible.

No amount of money can undo what happened, but a civil lawsuit may help survivors and families pursue accountability and support for the harm caused by abuse.

Compensation may include:

• Counseling, therapy, and mental health treatment
• Medical expenses related to the abuse
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and trauma
• Lost income or reduced earning capacity
• Loss of quality of life
• Other long-term effects of abuse

A lawsuit may also help expose failures within an athletic program and protect other athletes from being harmed in the future.

Sexual abuse cases involving athletic programs require compassion, privacy, and the resources to investigate organizations that may have failed to protect young athletes. Families deserve to be treated with dignity and care throughout the legal process.

Morgan & Morgan is America’s Largest Injury Law Firm, with 1,000 attorneys and over 35 years of experience handling serious injury and abuse-related claims. The firm has recovered more than $30 billion for clients and has the resources to investigate complex cases involving coaches, trainers, schools, teams, leagues, and athletic organizations.

If your child was harmed in an athletic program, Morgan & Morgan can review your case, explain your legal options, and help your family take the next step at your own pace.

Morgan & Morgan works on a contingency fee basis, meaning the Fee Is Free™—you only pay if we win your case. You can start with a free, confidential case evaluation.