While the effects of sexual misconduct can devastate the victim and the victim’s family, the damage does not stop there. Just one incident or allegation of sexual abuse can destroy the trust, credibility and reputation of an organization for years. Further complicating an incident of abuse or molestation are the legal costs of a lawsuit, […]
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Navigating the newest challenges By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris On July 1, 2021, virtually every news outlet ran the story: Boy Scouts Offer to Compensate Sexual Abuse Victims in Historic $850 Million Bankruptcy Settlement (USA Today) Yet another reminder that sexual abuse risk demands our attention to implement effective prevention measures AND develop an […]
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By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS continue to make headlines, and subsequent media coverage indicates that ministry leaders tend to be unprepared for child sexual abuse issues. Unfortunately, this lack of awareness is not unusual. Earlier articles in this series introduced topics that church leaders must understand and apply, if children are […]
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FALSE ALLEGATIONS: An Uncommon Occurrence By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris As sexual abuse attorneys working in the realm of sexual abuse and assault for more than three decades, we provide guidance to organizations and individuals who are navigating sexual abuse issues. In the majority of scenarios, an underlying allegation has come to light which […]
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By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Where child sexual abuse is concerned, peer-to-peer abuse provides the curveball of sexual abuse risk. To recognize and address it properly, a ministry must be watching for it. Common fact patterns Peer-to-peer sexual abuse — children molesting or abusing other children — unfolds in predictable patterns. Some years ago, […]
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Can ministries be held financially responsible? By Gregory S. Love, Esq. & Kimberlee D. Norris, Esq. On May 18, 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection, largely in response to mounting sexual abuse allegations and civil lawsuits. This bankruptcy filing further complicates liability concerns for organizations (churches, schools, camps, conference centers) that […]
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Avoiding Common Pitfalls By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris Every church — whether it’s multi-campus or a recent plant — deals with insurance coverage. Ministry leaders tend to gravitate to the least expensive policy options and often lack knowledge about what they should be looking for when securing coverage related to child sexual abuse risk. […]
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Sexual misconduct can have psychological, emotional and physical effects on victims and their families. However, the damage doesn’t stop there. Just one incident of sexual misconduct can destroy the trust, credibility and reputation of an organization and the organization’s leaders for years. Adding further pain to an incident of sexual misconduct are the legal costs […]
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CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN MINISTRY CONTEXTS By Gregory Love & Kimberlee Norris When in doubt, REPORT. If every allegation of child sexual abuse was simply reported by church leaders to appropriate authorities, the resulting positive impact would be immeasurable. Survivors of abuse would feel validated — by itself a significant positive outcome — pathways to […]
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The “Stop Sexual Abuse” series is designed to provide ministry leaders with information to better understand the risk of child sexual abuse and take necessary steps to protect children in ministry programs. The first article in the series provided analysis concerning sexual abuse risk using the metaphor of building the right fence. In this article […]
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