Family Member Sexual Assault (Incest) in California

Incest Attorneys in California Fighting for Justice & Compensation

Sexual abuse that takes place in any context is enormously damaging to the person who has been abused. But when sexual abuse occurs in the home, the betrayal of trust is so traumatic and the emotional and psychological injuries are so deep that many victims can only cope and continue functioning by repressing their memories of it.

Years later, those repressed memories begin to exact a heavy toll. Symptoms that many survivors of incest and parental sexual abuse will experience as they get older include trusting no one, being drawn to relationships where they will be victimized again, and drinking or using drugs heavily.

Victims who either never forgot what happened or whose memories have resurfaced often face more difficulties when they must choose between keeping this secret or taking legal action against a parent or family member for whom they still have feelings.

What Is Intrafamilial Abuse?

When a family member commits sexual abuse, it is called intrafamilial abuse. During this form of abuse, a family member involves a child in (or exposes a child to) sexual behaviors or activities.

Facts About Sexual Abuse

According to the YWCA, we know the following facts about family member sexual abuse:

• Generally, the younger the victim, the more likely it is that the abuser is a family member. More than half of those who molest children under six are family members. Children between the ages of 12 and 17 were also abused by family members in 23 percent of cases.
• It is a common myth that strangers and pedophiles commit child sexual abuse. The majority of people who sexually abuse children are our friends, partners, family members, and community members. About 93 percent of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuser. Less than 10 percent of sexually abused children are abused by a stranger.
• Children are at heightened risk for sexual violence. Nearly 70 percent of all reported sexual assaults occur to children ages 17 and under.
• One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old.

Helping You Reclaim the Power

At Joseph George Jr. Law, our attorneys understand the trauma experienced by incest victims and how to handle family sex abuse cases with sensitivity and discretion. We have been dedicated to this work since 1986 and have achieved outstanding results for many of our previous clients.

That success has been due in part to our experience and limited focus on these cases but also to the psychologist's work history, training, and education that attorney Joseph C. George, Ph.D. brings to our practice. You can trust our incest attorneys in California to provide you with the relentless representation you deserve.

The difficulty involved with taking direct legal action against an abuser will not keep us from trying. Recently, we obtained a $1.4 million verdict in a case that involved a sexual abuse victim who was abused by her stepfather.