Sexual Abuse Lawyers

Advocating for Survivors Across Texas

Sexual abuse causes deep and lasting harm. Survivors often carry trauma that affects every part of their lives, from relationships and careers to their sense of safety and self-worth. In Texas, victims now have more legal power to hold perpetrators and enabling institutions accountable.

Nix Patterson, LLP represents survivors of sexual abuse and assault across the state of Texas and throughout the United States. The firm has earned national recognition for handling high-profile and complex cases involving institutional misconduct and civil rights violations. Nix Patterson provides survivors with a path to justice through civil litigation that seeks both accountability and meaningful reform.

Civil Justice for Sexual Abuse Survivors

Criminal prosecutions can punish offenders, but they often do not address the full impact of sexual abuse on survivors. Civil claims allow victims to seek compensation for their pain, medical treatment, and financial losses while also exposing the failures that allowed abuse to occur.

Civil lawsuits help survivors reclaim power and contribute to preventing similar harm to others. At Nix Patterson, these cases are not only legal actions but also an opportunity to bring truth to light and drive systemic change.

Institutional Accountability in Texas

In 2025, Texas enacted the School Sexual Abuse Accountability Law, a landmark statute that allows victims to hold administrators and school districts personally liable when they ignore or conceal sexual abuse. The law represents a major step forward in protecting students and ensuring that institutions are held accountable for failing to act.

Under the new law, survivors may recover up to five hundred thousand dollars in actual damages, along with punitive damages when misconduct involves gross negligence or deliberate concealment. This legislation ends decades of immunity for administrators who failed to protect children and establishes a stronger path to justice for survivors.

Nix Patterson is among the first law firms in Texas to file a lawsuit under the new School Sexual Abuse Accountability Law. The firm represents families in a case against Celina Independent School District, which involves allegations of sexual misconduct and administrative negligence. The lawsuit claims district officials failed to act after learning of a coach’s prior misconduct and allowed him continued access to students, resulting in further harm.

The case is one of the first to test the new Texas statute and highlights the firm’s commitment to holding schools and administrators accountable when they fail to protect children. It also underscores how the law is reshaping institutional responsibility for sexual abuse in educational settings.

Read the full Celina ISD press release

Holding Those Responsible

Sexual abuse often occurs when individuals in positions of authority exploit trust, power, or vulnerability. These acts can take place in schools, churches, workplaces, medical settings, or within families. In many cases, institutions ignore warning signs or protect abusers instead of protecting victims.

Civil law allows survivors to pursue justice not only against the individual perpetrator but also against those who failed to prevent or report the misconduct. These cases are not only about individual wrongdoing but about exposing patterns of negligence that put others at risk.

Teachers, Coaches, and School Administrators

Educators and athletic staff have a duty to safeguard the students in their care. When a teacher or coach abuses that trust, or when administrators ignore reports or transfer problem employees, the harm can extend to many. Texas law now allows schools and administrators to be held personally liable for failing to act.

Religious Institutions and Clergy

Faith communities are built on trust. When religious leaders or organizations conceal or ignore misconduct by clergy or employees, they violate that trust and their moral obligation to protect parishioners. Civil lawsuits help hold these institutions accountable for inadequate oversight or deliberate coverups.

Medical Professionals and Therapists

Healthcare professionals hold power over patients who depend on them for treatment and care. When that authority is abused, it violates both medical ethics and the law. Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare networks can also be liable for negligent hiring or supervision.

Employers and Supervisors

Workplace sexual abuse or coercion often involves an imbalance of power that discourages victims from speaking out. Employers can be held responsible if they fail to investigate complaints, maintain a safe work environment, or take corrective action.

Youth Organizations and Camps

Children are particularly vulnerable in youth programs and extracurricular activities. When organizations fail to properly screen, train, or supervise employees and volunteers, they share responsibility for resulting harm.

Government Agencies and Institutions

Public schools, detention centers, and foster care programs have legal duties to protect those under their care. When officials ignore reports or conceal misconduct, they can be held accountable under evolving Texas laws.

Families and Caregivers

Some of the most painful cases involve abuse by family members or caregivers. Civil claims can hold guardians or caretakers accountable when they neglect their duty to protect or enable abuse through silence or complicity.

Compensation Available to Survivors

• Medical and counseling expenses
• Lost income or future earning potential
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
• Punitive damages to penalize and deter serious misconduct

Building a Strong Case

To prove a sexual abuse case, the survivor must show that abuse occurred and that negligence or concealment allowed it to happen. Evidence may include witness statements, prior complaints, medical documentation, police reports, or internal records from schools, employers, or churches. Nix Patterson uses experienced investigators and experts to uncover hidden patterns of misconduct and institutional failure.

Our Commitment to Survivors

For more than thirty years, Nix Patterson has stood with survivors of sexual abuse across the country. The firm’s attorneys provide trauma informed representation that protects privacy, dignity, and emotional well-being. Survivors who come forward deserve respect, compassion, and unwavering advocacy.

Speak with a Texas Sexual Abuse Lawyer

If you or someone you love has experienced sexual abuse, you have legal options. Civil law gives survivors the right to seek justice, expose wrongdoing, and create lasting change. Nix Patterson can review your case, explain your rights, and pursue justice against both perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them. All consultations are confidential, and our goal is to help survivors move forward with strength and dignity.