What Should You Do If You Are Sexually Abused by Someone in a Position of Power?

O'Donnell Law Offices — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:38:23 +0000

Sexual abuse can happen anywhere—including at work, at school, in a place of worship, within an athletic organization, at a medical facility, or in another environment where one person holds authority or influence over another.

A supervisor, teacher, coach, counselor, clergy member, medical provider, law-enforcement officer, or other trusted individual may exploit that power imbalance to intimidate, manipulate, or silence a victim. They may threaten the victim’s employment, education, reputation, opportunities, or relationships. They may also try to convince the victim that no one will believe them.

For survivors in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and communities throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties, knowing what to do next can feel overwhelming. Your immediate safety and well-being come first. Taking the following steps may also help preserve evidence and protect your legal rights under Pennsylvania law.

If this happened to you, it was not your fault. You deserve to be safe, supported, and treated with dignity.

1. Get to a Safe Place and Contact Someone You Trust

1. Get to a Safe Place and Contact Someone You Trust

Your immediate safety comes first. If you are in danger, move to a secure location and call 911 when it is safe to do so.

Consider contacting someone you trust, such as a family member, friend, counselor, or victim advocate. You do not have to face the immediate aftermath alone.

If the person who harmed you controls your employment, education, housing, transportation, finances, medical care, or access to other necessities, leaving or reporting the situation may be especially difficult. A victim advocate can help you consider your immediate safety needs.

You may also contact O’Donnell Law Offices for a free, confidential consultation. Attorneys experienced in representing sexual-abuse survivors can help you understand your rights before you communicate with the person responsible, the institution involved, or its insurance company.

Learn More about our experience with abuse cases:

https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2023/01/17/pittston-area-settles-sex-abuse-cases-with-no-public-dollars/

2. Seek Medical Attention After Sexual Abuse or Assault

Consider seeking medical care as soon as possible, even if you do not see visible injuries or have not decided whether to report what happened.

A medical professional can evaluate and treat injuries, discuss testing or preventive care, and help arrange a sexual-assault forensic examination when appropriate. A forensic examination may preserve evidence that could become important if you later decide to make a police report or pursue a civil claim.

If the abuse happened recently and you may want evidence collected, try to avoid bathing, changing clothes, brushing your hair, or cleaning the area where the incident occurred, if you are able. Clothing and other potential physical evidence should generally be placed in a paper bag rather than a plastic bag.

Even if you have already showered, changed clothes, or waited to seek treatment, you can still receive medical care and ask about your options.

O’Donnell Law Offices can help connect survivors with appropriate resources and explain how medical records and forensic evidence may relate to a potential civil sexual-abuse case.

3. Consider Reporting the Abuse to Law Enforcement

Sexual assault and abuse may be crimes. You have the option to report what happened to local law enforcement.

A police report can begin a criminal investigation and create an official record of the allegations. When speaking with investigators, provide as much accurate information as you can, but do not feel pressured to remember every detail immediately. Trauma can affect how events are processed and recalled.

It is also important to understand that criminal and civil cases are separate. A criminal prosecution seeks to hold an offender accountable for violating the law. A civil claim seeks accountability and compensation for the harm suffered by the survivor.

Even if criminal charges are not filed—or do not result in a conviction—a survivor may still have the right to bring a civil claim. O’Donnell Law Offices can explain the differences between these proceedings and help survivors understand how a criminal investigation could affect a civil case.

4. Preserve Messages, Records, and Other Evidence

People who abuse positions of power may communicate through text messages, emails, direct messages, workplace platforms, school accounts, or social media. Preserve anything that could document the conduct, the relationship, or the authority the person held over you.

Potential evidence may include:

Text messages, emails, and social-media communications
Photographs, videos, or audio recordings
Work schedules, school records, calendars, or appointment records
Performance reviews, disciplinary notices, grade changes, or other evidence of possible retaliation
Names of witnesses or people you told about the abuse
Medical records, counseling records, or police reports
Internal complaints made about the person or institution
Employee handbooks, school policies, codes of conduct, or reporting procedures
Letters, gifts, financial records, or other evidence of grooming or manipulation

Do not delete communications, even if they are upsetting. Take screenshots, retain the original files, and store copies somewhere the person or institution cannot access.

O’Donnell Law Offices can help identify and preserve evidence before messages, records, security footage, or internal documents are deleted or lost. The firm can also investigate whether other complaints were previously made against the person responsible.

5. Be Careful When Reporting Abuse to a School, Employer, or Institution

A workplace, school, religious organization, medical institution, government agency, or athletic program may have an internal process for reporting misconduct. An internal report can be important, but survivors should understand that the organization may also be concerned about its own reputation, finances, and legal exposure.

Before signing a statement, accepting compensation, agreeing to confidentiality, participating in an internal investigation, or attending a meeting with administrators, consider speaking with O’Donnell Law Offices.

An experienced sexual-abuse attorney can communicate with the organization on your behalf, help you understand its reporting process, and take steps to protect your rights if the institution attempts to minimize what occurred or retaliate against you.

6. Contact an Attorney Experienced in Sexual Abuse Cases

Sexual-abuse cases involving a person in authority can be legally and factually complex. Responsibility may extend beyond the individual who committed the abuse.

Depending on the circumstances, a school, employer, religious organization, government entity, medical facility, athletic organization, or other institution may share responsibility for:

Negligent hiring or retention
Inadequate supervision
Ignored complaints or warning signs
Failure to follow reporting requirements
Failure to enforce safety policies
Concealment of prior misconduct
Retaliation against a survivor or witness
Conduct that allowed the abuse to occur or continue

O’Donnell Law Offices has experience representing survivors of sexual abuse by people placed in positions of authority. The firm’s attorneys can:

Explain your rights and available legal options
Help preserve important evidence
Communicate with the institution and its insurance company
Investigate what the organization knew and when it knew it
Identify individuals and institutions that may be legally responsible
Examine earlier complaints or warning signs
Explain the relationship between criminal proceedings and a civil claim
Protect you from pressure to accept an unfair agreement
Monitor the legal deadlines that may apply to your case

Legal deadlines can vary depending on the survivor’s age, when the abuse occurred, who committed it, and the type of institution involved. Speaking with O’Donnell Law Offices promptly can help ensure that evidence is preserved and potential legal rights are not lost.

7. Connect With a Confidential Sexual-Assault Resource

Help is available whether or not you are ready to make a police report or pursue legal action.

The Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect connects survivors with free and confidential crisis counseling, advocacy, hospital accompaniment, police accompaniment, and local support services. Its statewide hotline is 1-888-772-7227.

The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline also provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

These organizations can provide emotional support and crisis services. O’Donnell Law Offices can provide legal guidance, investigate potential claims, and pursue accountability from the person or institution responsible. Survivors may choose to contact both a victim advocate and an experienced attorney as they consider their next steps.

Help for Sexual-Abuse Survivors Throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania

O’Donnell Law Offices represents survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. This includes cases involving teachers, coaches, supervisors, clergy members, medical providers, school employees, law-enforcement officers, and others placed in positions of authority or trust.

From its Kingston office, O’Donnell Law Offices serves survivors and families throughout:

Luzerne County, including Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Pittston, Hazleton, Dallas, Mountain Top, Nanticoke, Plains, Forty Fort, and surrounding communities
Lackawanna County, including Scranton, Clarks Summit, Dunmore, Old Forge, Taylor, Carbondale, and surrounding communities
Wyoming County, including Tunkhannock, Factoryville, Nicholson, Meshoppen, and surrounding communities

O’Donnell Law Offices has experience pursuing accountability not only from the person who committed the abuse, but also from institutions whose actions or failures may have allowed it to occur or continue.

Speak With a Scranton or Wilkes-Barre Sexual Abuse Attorney

If you or someone you love experienced sexual abuse or exploitation by a person in authority, you may have legal options. O’Donnell Law Offices represents survivors in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Pittston, Hazleton, Tunkhannock, and communities throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties.

We will listen to your story with compassion and discretion and explain the options that may be available under Pennsylvania law.

Consultations are always private and free. Never a cost unless we win.

Call O’Donnell Law Offices at 570-821-5717 or schedule a free consultation with an attorney online.

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