These five guides answer the questions people actually call about, in the order they usually come up. None of them is a substitute for having your own dates and facts reviewed, but reading them first means the conversation starts from a much better place.
What filing actually involves
The seven stages from first call to resolution, what you have to prove, an honest description of a deposition, how long each stage takes, and where you keep control of the case.
What settlements actually pay
Why a $4 billion settlement does not divide evenly, what a scaling factor is, what damages categories cover, and what comes out between the headline number and your account.
Suing without using your name
How John Doe and Jane Doe filings work, the factors courts weigh, what anonymity protects you from and what it does not, and why the request must be made before you file.
Civil vs. criminal cases
Different burdens, different defendants, different clocks, and different people in control. Why an acquittal or a declined charge does not end a civil claim.
Quick answers
- You do not need a police report to bring a civil claim.
- You do not need the abuser to be alive, identified, or convicted.
- You do not need physical evidence or a witness.
- A case review costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
- Deadlines are often far longer than survivors assume, and occasionally far shorter, when a bankruptcy or a government notice rule is involved.
Not sure which applies to you?
If you were harmed in an institution such as a juvenile facility, a foster placement, a church, a school, or a youth organization, start with institutional abuse. That section follows the Los Angeles County settlements of $4 billion (April 2025) and $828 million (October 2025), and the $2.4 billion Boy Scouts plan that became final after the Supreme Court declined review in January 2026.
If it involved a rideshare or an online platform, start with platform litigation, which tracks Uber MDL No. 3084 in the Northern District of California alongside the Roblox and Discord filings. If you are not ready to think about legal questions at all, that is a completely reasonable place to be: survivor support has nothing to do with a lawsuit.
- Every legal page on this site is reviewed by Chris Schroeder, Esq., admitted in Florida (Bar #520381) and the District of Columbia.
- We cite primary sources (statutes, dockets, court orders and agency filings) and date every figure. See our editorial process.
- Treat what follows as background on how these claims work, not as advice tailored to your circumstances.
