Bringing a claim in Rockford
People contact us from Rockford years and often decades after what happened. That is the norm in this work, not the exception.
Rockford sits in Winnebago County, Illinois, and a civil claim is filed in 17th Judicial Circuit (with Boone County).
The institutions that come up here
Winnebago County falls under the Diocese of Rockford. The Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 report named 24 clerics with substantiated child sexual abuse claims in the Diocese of Rockford.
Schools and public bodies here
Rockford Public Schools District 205 is one of the largest districts in Illinois and serves most of the city; parts of Rockford fall in Harlem District 122 or Winnebago District 323, so the right defendant depends on which school was involved.
Where the responsible body is a school district, a county, or the state, the Illinois Tort
Immunity Act comes into the analysis, along with notice requirements that do not apply to a
private organisation. It is the first thing to check and it is easy to get wrong.
Support in Rockford, whether or not you ever call a lawyer
Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling: 24-hour hotline 815-636-9811. Rockford.
You do not have to speak to a lawyer to get help. RAINN is also on
1-800-656-4673, free and confidential, 24 hours.
Questions people in Rockford ask
I never went to the police.
Most people we speak to never did. A civil claim needs no report, charge or conviction, and the absence of one is not treated as evidence that nothing happened.
What does it cost?
Nothing up front. These cases are taken on a contingency fee, so the fee is a share of any recovery and there is no fee if there is no recovery.
Do I have to decide anything now?
No. You can ask what is possible and stop there. Nothing is set in motion by a question.
Nothing is set in motion by asking. You can call, ask what is possible, and decide afterwards.