Pedophilia, the sexual abuse of children, is especially devastating when it is committed by people we, and they, trust the most – clergymen (priests, ministers, rabbis), relatives, teachers, youth leaders, and others similarly situated. The memory of the pedophilia and the unconscionable betrayal of trust it involves are frequently buried deep inside a victim’s mind. Often, the pedophilia and the betrayal generate a later, second wave of injury to the victim by creating, in the victim’s own mind, a sense of guilt and self-loathing which, in turn, drives him or her into progressively downward spirals of self-destructive behavior.

Those who betray our trust are often shielded and protected by powerful organizations. Alone, a victim has little chance of obtaining either fair compensation or closure for the wrong done to him or her. With experienced legal counsel, the victim will no longer have to stand alone.

BRINCEFIELD HARTNETT MALOOF & PALEOS, P.C., represents victims in pedophilia and clergy sexual abuse cases in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. We are also available to consult or co-counsel with attorneys nationwide who are dealing with these issues.

The following articles give some insight into the handling of these types of cases:

“Clergy Malpractice: Birth of a New Tort“. This article describes the legal theory that we created for prosecuting claims against clergymen, doctors, teachers and others who sexually abuse children and their patients, students, etc. The article was published in substantially the same form in three different publications.

“Clergy Malpractice“. Outline of a seminar we have presented for several advocacy groups (such as Parents Against Child Abuse – PACA) to explain the legal theory we created for prosecuting claims against clergymen, doctors, teachers and others who sexually abuse children, patients, students, etc.

*These articles report on our first Clergy Malpractice case in which two young brothers were sexually abused by a clergyman. It was in the course of this case that we developed our Clergy Malpractice theory of liability, which was recognized by a court of record as a tort for the first time in the United States.