Can families of victims sue for sexual abuse?
A family member of a sexual abuse victim may be able to file a civil lawsuit in the following situations:
The family member witnessed the assault (in which case they would file a lawsuit based on intentional infliction of emotional distress)
The assault resulted in the victim’s death (in which case they would file a wrongful death lawsuit)
The abuse resulted in a loss of companionship (in which case they would file a loss of consortium claim)