Survivors in Columbus and across Ohio may be able to hold a school, church, team or medical practice responsible for its own failures, such as careless hiring, weak supervision or ignored warnings. Childhood sexual abuse claims generally may be brought until 12 years after a survivor’s 18th birthday (R.C. 2305.111(C)). Adult assault claims carry a much shorter limit (R.C. 2305.111(B)).
This page provides general information, not legal advice about your matter. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
No one should have to carry alone what an institution allowed to happen. Jeckering & Associates, LLC stands with survivors against the schools, churches, teams and medical practices that failed them. Our team meets survivors at 10 N High St, Suite 301, Columbus, OH 43215 in downtown Columbus (614-944-5151). You set the pace here, and a question never commits you to a lawsuit.
Can I talk to a lawyer before I decide anything?
Yes. A first conversation exists for your questions, and you alone decide whether and when anything happens next.
Share as much or as little as feels right. Many survivors start with a single question about timing or about who could be responsible, and some call more than once before deciding anything at all. Nothing is filed, and no one is contacted, unless you choose to go forward.
When is an institution responsible for sexual abuse?
When its own conduct helped make the abuse possible. Careless hiring, loose supervision, keeping a known danger in place, or brushing aside warnings can each make the organization answerable, separate from the person who committed the abuse.
The institution’s own failures
Organizations decide who gets access to children, students, athletes and patients. When they skip background checks, leave one adult alone with minors against their own rules, or keep an employee after complaints, those choices belong to the institution.
What the institution knew
The central question is often notice: what leaders knew, or should have known, and what they did with it. Earlier complaints, internal emails, discipline files and the names of people who raised concerns can matter more than anything else.
Abuse carried out through a job or role
Coaches, teachers, doctors, youth leaders and clergy hold power because an institution gave it to them. We look hard at how that role opened the door, and at every chance the organization had to close it.
What is Title IX, and does it cover my school?
Title IX is the federal law that generally bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding (20 U.S.C. § 1681(a)), and courts treat sexual abuse and harassment by staff as a form of that discrimination. Many schools and universities receive those funds, and a review of the records can confirm whether yours did.
A campus Title IX complaint and a civil lawsuit are separate tracks. A school’s internal process may decide discipline, but it does not decide whether the school owes you anything in court.
How is a Title IX claim different from a negligence claim?
They ask different questions about the same institution. A Title IX claim generally looks at how the school responded once an official with real authority knew about the abuse, while a negligence claim asks whether the organization acted carelessly before or after.
| Claim | Who it can reach | The core question | Evidence that often matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title IX (federal) | Schools and colleges that receive federal funding | How did the school respond after an official with authority knew? | Who was told, when, and what the school did next |
| Negligence (Ohio law) | Schools, churches, teams, camps, clinics and other organizations | Did the organization act carelessly in hiring, supervising or responding? | Background checks, supervision rules, earlier complaints |
Many cases involve both claims, and some involve additional ones. Which claims fit depends on the institution, what it knew and when it knew it.
Want to know whether the institution can be held responsible? Start with one question at 614-944-5151.
Where does institutional abuse happen?
Wherever an organization hands one adult power over someone younger, weaker or in its care. That includes K-12 schools, colleges and universities, medical and therapy offices, youth sports and camps, and religious organizations.
In schools, the abuser is often a teacher, coach or staff member, and the records sit with the district. At universities, team physicians, trainers and professors can hold enormous sway over students. We represented survivors in the Ohio State / Strauss cases, work we described on our page for Strauss survivors. In medical and therapy settings, abuse may be disguised as treatment. Youth sports, camps and religious groups depend on trust, travel and time alone, and each one sets rules it is supposed to enforce.
How long do survivors have to file in Ohio?
Ohio generally allows 12 years from the date a survivor of childhood sexual abuse reaches 18 (R.C. 2305.111(C)). For an adult’s assault or battery claim the limit is generally 1 year, and that year can start later when the survivor did not yet know who the abuser was (R.C. 2305.111(B)).
Claims against an institution, Title IX claims and claims against public bodies can follow different rules, and the law has changed over the years. These dates are here to inform you, not to rush you. Asking early simply keeps more options open, and we explain what happens in a first call about an abuse claim in a separate guide.
Do I need a police report or a criminal conviction?
No. A civil claim stands apart from any criminal case and does not depend on charges or a conviction.
Some survivors report to police and some never do. Either way, a civil case can move forward on its own evidence. Our sexual abuse practice page explains how civil claims against an abuser and an institution fit together.
Will my name be made public?
Not automatically. Ohio courts sometimes let a survivor proceed under a pseudonym, but that has to be requested and approved, so raise it before anything is filed.
Your name and your story stay under your control during every early conversation. If intimate images are part of what happened, Ohio’s image-abuse protections may also apply.
Do public schools and government bodies follow different rules?
Sometimes. When the institution is a public school district, a state university or another arm of government, immunity rules, notice steps and the proper court can change.
That makes identifying the institution the first job. Our overview of claims against Ohio public bodies explains those rules, and our civil rights page covers claims against public officials. For a wider look, see which officials and agencies can be named.
What can I gather, if and when I am ready?
Nothing is required before you talk with us. If you choose, a few items can help later.
- Approximate dates, places and the role the abuser held
- Names of people you told, and roughly when you told them
- Messages, letters, photos or journals you already have
- School, team, church or medical records in your own name
- Any complaint you or your family made, and what the institution said back
Write things down only when it feels manageable, and store notes somewhere only you can reach.
Where can I find support right now?
Support is available whether or not you ever take legal action. In Central Ohio and statewide, the 24-hour sexual assault helpline run by OhioHealth SARNCO answers at 844-644-6435.
Nationally, RAINN’s hotline is 800-656-4673. Advocates on these lines can talk through safety, medical care and counseling options at any hour.
Why clients hire us
Institutions protect themselves first. We make sure someone is protecting you.
- Survivors only: we represent survivors and their families, never the institutions that failed them.
- Built to go the distance: we press the institution for every record of what it knew, and we prepare each case as if a jury will hear it, because that is how we fight to win.
- Leveling the field: when the other side brings insurers and outside counsel, we level the playing field and keep the focus on what the institution did.
- Two Central Ohio offices: sit down with us downtown in Columbus, or in Mechanicsburg at our Champaign County office.
Frequently asked questions
Can an organization be sued for abuse in Ohio, not just the abuser?
In some cases, yes. Ohio law can reach an organization that made the abuse possible through careless supervision or ignored warnings, alongside the person who committed it.
Can I ask a lawyer questions and still decide later?
Yes. A first conversation is about what you want to know, and you choose whether and when any next step happens.
When does the time limit run out on an abuse claim in Ohio?
For childhood abuse, generally 12 years from the survivor’s 18th birthday (R.C. 2305.111(C)). Adult claims and suits against public schools or agencies may run on shorter or different clocks.
Does Title IX apply to my school?
It generally covers education programs receiving federal financial assistance, and your school’s funding records can settle that question.
Do I need a criminal conviction to bring a civil claim?
No. A civil claim does not wait on prosecutors, and survivors often bring one when no charges were ever filed.
Can I keep my name out of the court record?
Sometimes. A court may allow a pseudonym, but someone has to ask for it, so bring it up before anything is filed.
What happens on the first call?
You share whatever you are comfortable sharing, and we explain possible options and next steps. Nothing is filed unless you decide to go forward.
Can a parent bring a claim for a child?
Generally yes. A parent or guardian can usually act for a minor, and parents may have related claims of their own.
Ready to make the institution answer for what it allowed?
We fight for your rights, on your timeline. When you are ready, call 614-944-5151 or reach us through the contact form, and we will listen first.
Millions of dollars recovered on behalf of our clients. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Jeckering & Associates, LLC · Columbus office: 10 N High St, Suite 301, Columbus, OH 43215 · 614-944-5151 · Mechanicsburg office: 16 S Main St, Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 · 937-896-2222 · staff@centralohiolegal.com · Hours Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–5:30 PM