Fighting for Children and Families.
Children are among our most vulnerable, defenseless, and treasured assets. Harm in the form of abuse or neglect to a child can have long-lasting effects well into adulthood, forming trauma, fears, inabilities, developmental problems, and other devastating consequences.
Any type of harm that comes to a child, whether physical, emotional, or psychological, should be met with swift and decisive action. Those responsible for the care of children and teens found acting with violence or neglect should be held accountable for their actions and omissions.
For more than 30 years, our firm has protected the rights of the injured. Our track record of success reflects the level of commitment, knowledge, skills, and resources we bring to every client.
Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen stands ready to help. Contact our experienced team today to schedule a free consultation.
Not all abusers use the same tactics, which means abuse can be difficult to spot.
Child abuse may take the form of:
All these types of abuse can affect a child’s ability to form relationships and trust others, and can result in low self-esteem and emotional and behavioral issues. Abuse may result in developmental regression and contribute to struggles at school. These effects can stretch into adulthood if a child does not receive the help and support they need to heal.
Some children tell adults they trust about abusers, but others keep it quiet out of shame. It’s common for children to believe they are at fault for abuse, especially when the person mistreating them is someone they trust and look up to. Therefore, as parents, we must be vigilant for any signs of child abuse.
Signs of physical abuse include:
Signs of emotional abuse include:
Signs of sexual abuse include:
Each child reacts to abuse in their own way. If you notice your child’s behavior changing suddenly, something could be wrong. It’s important to let children know you are there for them, you support them, and if someone is treating them badly it is that person’s fault, not any child’s.
Children are vulnerable—which unfortunately means any time they are around adults, there is the potential for abuse. While we want to believe those we trust to care for our children are kind and responsible, child abuse may happen at:
Though most organizations are not themselves abusive, a lapse in judgment and a lack of supervision can allow an abusive adult to gain access to children. If multiple children are under the care of one adult, your child may not be the only one in harm’s way.
The person who abuses your child is responsible for their actions. However, our firm seeks to hold all involved parties liable. This may mean a church, a school, a group like the Boy Scouts of America, or any other large institution. Why? Because any organization set up to care for children must have proper protections to ensure no abusers enter its midst.
This means doing background checks on new hires and vetting volunteers. It means providing oversight and supervision so no one adult can threaten or harm children. It means setting up a reporting structure and taking every complaint seriously, even if the alleged abuser tries to discredit the child who brings it.
There are bad actors out there, and rather than pretend otherwise, organizations must be prepared to find and remove any harmful individuals who make it into their midst. When they fail at this important duty, they can be named in lawsuits brought by the families of abused children.
If your child has confided in you that he or she is being abused, your first step should be to use the Florida Child Abuse Hotline to make an official report. Then, contact our team to learn about your legal options.
While abusers may be prosecuted in criminal court, it is often hard to win a conviction when children are the only witnesses. By filing a civil claim (which can be done alongside a criminal claim), you can secure compensation to place your child in a new, safer environment and help them attend counseling so they can heal from the abuse.
It is everyone’s duty to stop child abuse when we see or suspect it. Anyone who hurts one child is likely to hurt others. By filing a lawsuit, you may be saving other children. Let us help.
Identifying Child Neglect
Children need freedom to learn and explore—but they also need affection, education, supervision, and help attending to physical needs. Child neglect can lead to developmental delays, risky or delinquent behavior, a higher chance of mental health problems, and trouble forming trusting relationships. These hardships can stay with a child as they grow up, changing their path in life and decreasing their opportunities.
The first step in keeping children safe from neglect is knowing what it looks like. Child neglect takes four major forms:
Neglect often happens alongside child abuse, but they are not the same thing. Abuse consists of actions or behaviors that actively harm a child, rather than a passive failure to meet a child’s needs.
Neglect can cause varying signs depending on the type and the reaction of the child. Also, children’s moods and actions shift frequently. Therefore, child experts recommend you look for multiple signs of neglect that have lasted a while.
It’s also important to notice the way these signs interact with a child’s attendance or participation in certain activities. If they display some of these signs on a regular basis, but only after being in a certain place, that’s the first place you should look for neglect.
A neglected child may:
Because neglect causes at least as much emotional damage as it does physical, it can also cause behavioral shifts:
It’s important to listen to your child and ask questions if they say anything worrying. Children do not understand the world the same way adults do, so they may not report neglect in the same manner an adult would. If you are concerned your child is not receiving the care and attention they need when they are not with you, it’s always better to ask questions (in a non-judgmental and blame-free manner) to determine the reality of their situation.
Both caregivers and the institutions that employ or sponsor them can be named in a lawsuit regarding child neglect. In some cases, the individual may hardly be at fault—perhaps they know they are stretched too thin and have asked for more resources and support but been denied. Even if they have not made such a request, it’s ultimately an institution’s job to make sure children are getting proper care.
We can help you bring a claim against a school, sports team, daycare, religious institution, or other place where a child has suffered neglect.
Our attorneys start each case by thoroughly investigating the allegations to identify the at-fault party and find evidence of their misdeeds.
Bringing a claim against those who neglect children can help you secure the resources to help your child; it can show them that what happened was due to someone else’s actions and it can help prevent the same harm happening to other children.
By filing a lawsuit, we can help you push for the removal of purposefully neglectful adults from caregiver positions. We can also push for systemic changes to ensure there are proper resources in place to care for children.
In over 30 years serving clients, our team has helped multiple families like yours. We have the best interests of you and your child at heart, which is why we always offer free consultations to help you fully understand your legal options. Our team provides all-around support to our clients and stays with each case until its resolution.
Every GRYC case is handled by a team of lawyers supported by in-house investigators and legal professionals with extensive experience in the medical, law enforcement, and insurance sectors.
We have recovered over $1 billion in settlements and compensation for our clients, fighting for full and fair compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, physical suffering, and emotional trauma.
We fight to change the laws and policies that hurt our clients to protect other innocent people from harm.
We take all cases on a contingency basis, which means that we pay all fees upfront, and only get paid if we win.
We fight every day to bring justice and truth back into the lives of unheard victims. We use our passion to improve the lives of our clients and our communities. GRYC is a force for justice, focused on you.
To speak to someone on of our highly skilled team, fill out the form below, or call 866-629-1061 for a free case review.
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GRYC has been a voice for injured victims in the South Florida area since 1988. Together, we will be heard. Together, we can make change happen.
