Child sexual abuse is a serious problem that can devastate the life of a person before it even begins. A recent case showed a young boy being seriously abused at various foster homes before he was even three-years old. Thankfully, he was awarded over a million dollars in a civil suit to help fund his treatment.
The Facts Of The Case
The facts of this case are very disturbing. The young boy, who was abandoned by his mother at a very young age, was adopted by multiple people before the family that finally took him on for good. The adoptive agencies, Harvest of Hope and DYFS, did very little background checks on the people who adopted the boy, with the DYFS failing to to perform regular checks on him or to even search for family members who were willing to care for him.
As a result, he was placed in multiple homes where he received serious abuse, including physical and sexually degrading treatment. Thankfully, he was adopted at the age of about three by his current parents, but suffered from a series of psychological problems as a result.
How This Case Stacks Up Against Others
While this isn’t one of the largest amounts of money ever won in a child sex abuse case, it is one of the largest individual cases. Typically, most large sum payments are dolled out in group settlements. A 2011 case against the Society Of Jesus’ Pacific Northwest paid $166.1 million to 470 people abused by priests: this balanced out to just about $355,000 per person.
In another case, a school district in Los Angeles had to pay $88 million to about 30 different children and families due to serious sexual misconduct in two different elementary schools, or about $3 million per person.
The Way This Money Will Help Him
This boy, who will receive about $1,600 a month from an annuity fund for 40 years, will be able to use this money to help treat any problems that have occurred as a result of his abuse. Sexual abuse of this type often seriously impacts the mental health of people, causing high levels of depression, eating disorders, anxiety, repression, sexual misconduct, issues with relationships, and survivor guilt.
Treatment for these problems can last a lifetime, and with nearly $2,000 a month to spend on treatment, this young man has a real chance to get his life back on track and recover from the abuse he endured at such a young age.
