2013 National Conference Location

Join us September 9-11, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona for the National Crime Victim Bar Association 2013 National Conference. More details and registration information available soon!

Victim Advocate Seminars

We train victim advocates for better understand how victims can use the civil justice system. Sponsor a seminar in your community.

Connecting Victims with Civil Attorneys

Every crime victim has the right to file a civil lawsuit but it's difficult to find the right attorney. Our attorney referral line refers crime victims to civil attorneys with the right experience to help them secure justice. Crime victims can call 202-467-8716 for an attorney referral.

Civil Justice Database

Members have unlimited access to our Civil Justice Database containing summaries of over 12,000 civil cases arising from criminal acts.
Read More

State Laws

State-by-state survey of Apportionment of Fault between negligent and intentional tortfeasors.


Support Our Work

Your generous contribution will help victims of crime rebuild their lives.


On-Line CLEs

Continuing Legal Education
On-Demand.
Free Previews.


Endorsed by:

  • Isle man suing church, order under new law

    By Lila Fujimoto / The Maui News

    At least six lawsuits have been filed in Hawaii under the law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse victims to file civil actions, according to attorneys who were on Maui for a seminar Monday on Civil Justice for Victims of Crime in Hawaii.

    Read More

  • California Supreme Court denies Scouts' bid to halt files' release

    Kim Christensen\LA Times

    The California Supreme Court has refused to bar the release of confidential files detailing allegations of child sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts since 1991.

    The court’s decision clears the way for the Scouts to hand over two decades worth of files to attorneys representing a former Scout who was molested by a volunteer leader in 2007, when the plaintiff was 13.

     

    Read More

  • Strauss-Kahn Settles Maid’s Suit on Confidential Terms

    By Chris Dolmetsch / Bloomberg Businessweek

    Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the maid who accused him of trying to rape her agreed to settle her lawsuit, resolving a legal saga that ended his term as head of the International Monetary Fund and derailed a potential French presidential bid.

    Read More

  • 4 years in, Madoff trustee still pursuing assets

    By Associated Press

    Irving Picard, the trustee appointed to recover funds for Madoff victims, and a battalion of lawyers headed by Sheehan have spent long days untangling Madoff's fraud. On the fourth anniversary of Madoff's Dec. 11, 2008, arrest, it's an international effort that shows no signs of slowing.

    Read More

  • Elmo Sex Scandal Timeline

    By Kelli Kennedy / Huffington Post

    MIAMI — Another man on Monday sued the former Elmo puppeteer who resigned amid sex abuse allegations, claiming the voice actor befriended him in Miami and promised to be a father figure before flying the teen to New York to have sex with him.

    The alleged victim is now the fourth to accuse Kevin Clash, who resigned from "Sesame Street" last month after 28 years. 

    Read More

  • Hawaii Law Benefits Victims of Child Sex Abuse

    By Wayne Parsons / The Legal Examiner

    In April a new law went into effect in Hawaii that opens a two year window for people who were sexually abused as children to bring civil lawsuits against the perpetrator no matter how long ago it happened. A good summary of how the new law works can be found at website of The Sex Abuse Treatment Center of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu: 

    Read More

  • Abuse Verdict Topples a Hasidic Wall of Secrecy

    By Sharon Otterman / New York Times

    Sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community has long been hidden. Victims who came forward were intimidated into silence; their families were shunned; cases were dropped for a lack of cooperation.

    Read More

  • NCVC files amicus brief in Sandusky case

    National Center for Victims of Crime

    The National Center for Victims of Crime filed an amicus brief asking Judge John Cleland to squash all subpoenas seeking information on the victims allegedly abused by Jerry Sandusky in an effort to protect their identities. Read the press release by following the link.

    Read More

  • Pa. family receives $5M in damages for abuse adopted daughter suffered under N.J. DYFS's care

    Dec 16, 2011
    The state will pay a Pennsylvania family $5 million in damages for the physical and sexual abuse their adopted daughter suffered as a baby while under the care of New Jersey’s Division of Youth and Family Services. The state settled with the family today after a jury awarded damages, plus attorney’s fees. Because the state chose to settle, the jury’s verdict is vacated. The settlement is one of the largest DYFS has ever paid for a single child. The largest settlement was $12.5 million paid in 2005 to four brothers who nearly starved in a Collingswood foster home.
    Full story

  • 'Victim 1' Hires Lawyers in Penn State Abuse Case

    Nov 28, 2011
    The Associated Press / Philadelphia-area lawyers Michael Boni and National Crime Victim Bar Association Sustaining member Slade McLaughlin said in a statement Monday that they have been retained to represent Victim 1 and his mother.
    Full story

  • Penn State Case Brings Other Victims Forward

    Nov 16, 2011
    By Marisol Bello / USA Today / The Penn State scandal is encouraging victims of child sexual abuse to come forward and share experiences they've kept hidden for years, lawyers and advocates for victims say.
    Full story

  • Advocates urge caution in wake of Penn State ‘Knee-jerk’ efforts may sound good, but won’t stop abusers

    Nov 15, 2011
    The child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State University is galvanizing lawmakers in several states and Congress to find fresh ways to capture predators and stamp out abuse. The legislative attention is welcome news to some child-abuse protection advocates: “We’re on the front end [of the Penn State scandal] and I think we’ll see more [laws] to come,” said Jeff Dion, deputy executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Other advocates warn against “knee-jerk” efforts to pass laws that sound good but don’t stop abuse.
    Full story

  • TIME TO BE HEARD End the statute of limitations on sex abuse, victims say

    Sep 28, 2011
    Seated at the center of a hushed hearing room in the State House, the two athletes could not have looked more different: Al Chesley, a 6-foot-3-inch former linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Heather Conner, a petite former professional tennis player in a light pink blouse. But in front of members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the two shared the same story: As children, they say, they were abused by a trusted adult. As adults, they remained silent for decades. They both spoke out for the first time when they were two years shy of their 50th birthday.
    Full story