1 out of every 6 women will be the victim of a rape or attempted sexual assault in her lifetime. Men are not immune from this, as 1 in 33 men will be victimized in their lifetimes. Each year over 425,000 people in the United States over the age of 12 are sexually assaulted. These are shocking numbers.
At Leighton Panoff Law, we are dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault restore their lives. We have spent over 35 years representing men and women who have been sexually assaulted.
How do we do help people who have suffered sexual assault?
First, we help our sexual assault clients navigate through the criminal justice system. That’s a very tough place to be for people who have just had a life-altering assault. They feel intimately violated. They have had control taken away from them. Now there may be a perpetrator who was apprehended. If so, the state brings the case against them. The victim is essentially a witness. The State does not represent their interests. But we work hard to help our clients through this process, often in tandem with prosecutors, law enforcement and victim advocates.
Second, we empower our clients. We want them to their story. Our goal is to afford our clients the power to take back their dignity, help them heal, and empower the survivors by bringing a civil case.
Third, we bring civil cases against those who allow the crime to be committed and against those who committed the crime. By holding them all responsible, we can create safer conditions. Perhaps the next time there is no sexual assault because of the courageous acts of our clients. If we can prevent even a single sexual assault by shining a light on the negligence of others, we will have done a great deed.
Click here to speak with an attorney. We’re here to offer you the support you and your family need.
Were it not for the civil justice system, many serial rapists and abusers would never have been criminally prosecuted (Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein, Larry Nasser and many others). This is because the civil justice system is for the victim. This is where we get justice.
As President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, John Leighton has been helping survivors of sexual assault reclaim their dignity for over 35 years. As a pioneer in the field of negligent security and sex abuse litigation, Mr. Leighton has taught other trial lawyers for decades on techniques for bringing and trying these cases to juries.
Mr. Leighton is the Chairman of the Inadequate Security Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice (former Association of Trial Lawyers of America). He is the author of Litigating Premises Security Cases, a two-volume textbook widely used throughout the country on how to assess, investigate and try sexual assault and violent crime cases.
Why does it make sense to bring a civil case for a sexual assault?
When a rapist or criminal perpetrator is caught by the police, there are dozens of protections that are triggered for them as the accused. The criminal justice system is crafted to make sure that this person receives every benefit of a doubt (and the standard in a criminal case is “beyond any reasonable doubt”). Because of this the State is representing the people against the accused.
In a civil case, when we represent a survivor of a sexual assault, we represent that person. We can bring a case and get subpoena power. That means we can take sworn testimony, conduct investigations, and develop evidence that the State or law enforcement might miss or may not be important to their criminal case. Most important, our goal to is restore our client’s life. That may mean recovering substantial monetary damages, changing the policies of a business, increasing security at a building, having better lighting or locks installed at an apartment complex, creating policies to stop drink spiking at bars, or requiring background checks of employees.
We have represented many survivors of sexual assault. Each one is different. Each case is different. What matters is that we give every single one or personal attention so we can understand the needs of our clients.
Leighton Panoff Law has a long track record of record-setting recoveries
By understanding the needs of our clients, we can better craft and litigate their case. No two clients are alike except that they have had their dignity stolen from them. We work with some of the top forensic experts and counselors in the country to help our clients restore what they once had: control over their lives.
In so doing, we have been extraordinarily successful in winning verdicts and settlements on their behalf. Recently John Leighton and Max Panoff obtained a $49.3 million verdict for a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a teacher (CRR v. Jansen, et al., Miami-Dade County Circuit Court), which followed a $550,000 settlement with one of the defendants. This recovery allowed our client to go on to college and become a successful and independent professional.
We have recovered substantial amounts for clients who have been sexually assaulted in case involving:
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault, please CLICK HERE or call us for a free, confidential evaluation of the case. We are happy to meet with any prospective clients and there is no obligation or cost involved. We feel that only by helping empower survivors of sexual assault can we begin to help them heal and help stop the frequency of this violence.
Disclaimer: The information about past verdicts and settlements of the firm’s cases are based on the unique facts of each case. These amounts reflect the gross recovery in each case (before attorneys fees, expenses and medical costs are deducted). Although these results were obtained by our firm, they may not indicate the success or value of any other case as each case is unique. By clicking on Verdicts and Settlements you are acknowledging that every case is different and each case must be evaluated on its own merits. The information contained here has not been reviewed or approved by The Florida Bar.
In a civil case, when we represent a survivor of a sexual assault, we represent that person. We can bring a case and get subpoena power, take sworn testimony, conduct investigations, and develop evidence. Most important, our goal is to restore our client’s life. That may mean recovering substantial monetary damages, changing policies of a business, increasing security, improving lighting or locks, creating rules to stop drink spiking at bars, or requiring background checks of employees. The civil system is where we get justice for the victim.
We help our sexual assault clients navigate through the criminal justice system, empower them to tell their story, and bring civil cases against those responsible. We work in tandem with prosecutors, law enforcement, and victim advocates. Our goal is to help clients heal, reclaim dignity, and create safer conditions to prevent future assaults. We aim to shine a light on the negligence of others, and if we can prevent even a single sexual assault, we will have done a great deed.
Were it not for the civil justice system, many serial rapists and abusers would never have been criminally prosecuted—Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein, Larry Nasser and many others. The civil justice system is for the victim. The criminal system is for the State, and the victim is only a witness. In civil court, the victim is heard, represented, and empowered. It is where real justice can be achieved, dignity can be restored, and conditions can be changed to prevent future harm to others.
John Leighton has been helping survivors of sexual assault reclaim their dignity for over 35 years. As President of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, he is a pioneer in negligent security and sex abuse litigation. He chairs the Inadequate Security Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice and authored Litigating Premises Security Cases, a widely used two-volume textbook. Mr. Leighton frequently teaches trial lawyers across the country how to assess, investigate, and try sexual assault and violent crime cases.
Recently, John Leighton and Max Panoff obtained a $49.3 million verdict for a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a teacher (CRR v. Jansen, et al., Miami-Dade County Circuit Court), following a $550,000 settlement with one of the defendants. This recovery allowed our client to go on to college and become a successful and independent professional. The case is an example of how civil justice can restore lives and hold perpetrators and institutions accountable for their role in enabling sexual assault.
We have recovered substantial amounts for clients in cases involving: sexual assault on a young man by a store manager, assault of a store clerk by an intruder, rapes of women at outlet malls by a serial rapist, assault after drink spiking at a hotel bar, rape by another hotel guest who pushed open a defective lock, massage therapist assault during a massage, sexual assault at a trailer park, and a $1.13 million recovery for a sexual assault at a shopping center. Each case received personalized, aggressive representation.
We empower our clients by allowing them to tell their story. Our mission is to help survivors take back their dignity, heal, and become empowered through the legal process. We listen, we support, and we act. By holding perpetrators and negligent parties accountable, we help prevent future assaults and encourage institutional change. Every survivor deserves to be heard, respected, and protected. By pursuing justice, we give survivors a chance to regain control over their lives and find meaningful closure.
We work with some of the top forensic experts and counselors in the country to help our clients restore what they once had: control over their lives. By understanding the needs of our clients, we better craft and litigate their case. No two clients are alike except that they have had their dignity stolen from them. We tailor our legal strategies with compassion, expertise, and strength to help each client achieve justice and healing through comprehensive, well-supported civil litigation.
Each survivor is different. Each case is different. What matters is that we give every single one our personal attention so we can understand their needs. Leighton Panoff Law has a long track record of record-setting recoveries. We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we tailor every case to the client’s unique experience and goals. Our attorneys, investigators, and expert partners work together to deliver justice and restore control to those who have had it taken from them in the most personal, painful way.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual assault, please contact us for a free, confidential evaluation of the case. We are happy to meet with any prospective clients, and there is no obligation or cost involved. We believe that only by helping empower survivors of sexual assault can we begin to help them heal and stop the frequency of this violence. We’re here to offer you the support you and your family need—with dignity, compassion, and aggressive legal advocacy.