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Claim compensation for Church abuse

Expert legal advice from qualified solicitors

Robsonshaw has successfully brought claims against both the Church of England and the Catholic Church following sexual abuse by the clergy.  

If you have suffered physical or sexual abuse from any religious organisation, speak to us about a potential claim for compensation.

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At robsonshaw, we have won millions of pounds in compensation for survivors of sexual abuse. We offer no win, no fee arrangements, and can also fund expenses such as court fees

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How the legal system deals with claims of abuse against the Church

The Catholic Church has had to accept that some of its priests have been found guilty of sexual abuse and it is now well known that those priests targeted religious institutions to gain access to young victims. Whilst the Church is struggling to restore its credibility by implementing systems to deal with sexual abuse, compensation claims continue to be made. 

A claim against a Church is usually brought under the principle of "vicarious liability".  This means that where a priest or member of the clergy has abused someone whilst at work, the Church may be legally responsible for their actions.  Most organisations have insurance to cover this eventuality.  

In the past, Churches have tried to argue that they should not be legally responsible for the criminal actions of people working within their organisation.  However, in 2012 a landmark decision was made by the Court of Appeal which changed things.

In this case, the Court decided that despite the fact a priest may not be paid a wage by the Church, the role of a priest was akin to that of an employee. As such, the Church would be vicariously liable for their wrongdoing.  This case has had far-reaching ramifications, and has led to many new sexual abuse compensation claims.  

If you're considering a claim for compensation against the Church for abuse, please contact Sam at sam@robsonshaw.uk.  

You can also contact us using any of the following local rate numbers: 

Why Choose Robsonshaw

24/7 Legal Service

Direct Access To Solicitors

Your case is personally handled by a specialist solicitor who only deals with sexual abuse claims.

Why Us

Empathetic Legal Process

We guide you through each step providing expert legal support from start to finish.

No win, no fee

No Financial Worries

We offer No Win No Fee Agreements, funding for your disbursements, competitive success fees and no unnecessary insurance.

Claim FAQ's

Charges are different depending on the funding arrangement, usually a Conditional Fee Agreement for Civil claims, or a Contingency Fee agreement for CICA claims. In either funding arrangement it will not cost you anything if you lose. If we take on your claim and you win your civil claim, we recover your costs and disbursements from your opponent. If we agree to charge you a success fee, this is calculated as a percentage of your legal fees when your claim concludes and is not based on your winnings (although it cannot be more than 25% of your compensation).  If we are representing you in a CICA claim, if you win, our charges are 25% of your compensation including VAT.  

Sometimes it is very difficult to know if you have a valid claim.  This is because there can be different routes to obtain compensation.  We offer a free, confidential and no obligation telephone consultation so please give us a call and we can let you know your options and whether you have a claim that can be pursued. 

Yes, most of the claims we pursue are historic. However, in very old cases much depends whether the perpetrator has been reported to the police and when.  There are also evidential difficulties if you leave it too long to bring a claim as witnesses can be difficult to trace and documents destroyed or lost.  Limitation is less of an issue following case law which has changed the way the Courts approach limitation in historic sexual abuse claims, although cases are very fact specific and we can quickly advise you if we think we can help you pursue a non-recent claim for sexual abuse. Please contact us for a free, no obligation chat for specialist help.

Civil claims can take anything from a year to much longer, depending on the defendants stance and if proceedings need to be commenced. CICA claims can take anything from 12 months to three years to conclude, occasionally longer if an Appeal is necessary.

See cases we have represented for victims of the Church

We have  a successful history in claims against the church. Please see our case staudies and read about how we've helped our clients.

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How can we help?

Please fill in the contact form opposite and we will ring you as soon as possible. (Usually the same day). Alternatively, please email us or simply give us a call. We will do our best to advise you on your options and the best way forward. The discussion will be free and you will be under no obligation to instruct us.

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