Sexual Abuse Litigation Defense
In 1997, twelve-year-old student Vili Fualaau began having sexual relations with his teacher, Mary K. Letourneau, resulting in two children. In addition to world-wide media coverage, the affair led to a lawsuit alleging millions of dollars in damages against the Washington school district that employed her. After an eleven-week jury trial, our attorneys won that case outright for the defense.
Patterson Buchanan continues to maintain an exceptionally strong practice focused on defending high profile sexual abuse litigation. Whether serving a public entity, a private corporation, or a community of faith, our firm maintains the infrastructure to provide effective representation in the most complex or egregious cases, including those involving multiple plaintiffs or abuse alleged over the course of decades.
These types of cases often involve claims critical of hiring practices, supervision, or detection of abuse or grooming. These are areas in which we have extensive experience, having handled literally hundreds of such cases and having advised clients on employee terminations, other personnel actions, and preventive training and practices related to sexual misconduct and boundary invasions. Every case is emotional and holds potential for significant exposure. The need for immediate legal counsel experienced in defense of liability, damages, and client reputation is clear. Meeting this need—your need—is our goal.
Our firm has found that in sex abuse litigation the best defense is, quite simply, the best defense. The problem is that very few practicing attorneys in the nation have the ability to provide such a defense. Often this fact is not realized until too late. In these types of cases, do not take chances. We have defended and advised clients in numerous states. We also are available nationwide in a consultative capacity, for risk management and training, or for retention as panel counsel.