Colorado Child Sexual Abuse Lawyer Marlo Greer
Holding Schools, Camps, and Youth Programs Accountable
Parents hand their children to institutions every day: schools, camps, campus programs, sports teams, churches, daycares, youth clubs, and treatment centers. Those organizations take on a duty to keep children safe. When one of them ignores warning signs, skips a background check, or brushes off a complaint, and a child is sexually abused as a result, the organization can be held responsible in a civil claim.
A civil claim is separate from any criminal case. A prosecutor decides whether to charge someone with a crime. A civil claim asks a different question: who had the power to prevent this, and what did they do with it? It can also result in compensation for counseling, treatment, and the long-term harm the abuse has caused.
Please note: Greer Law Group handles child sexual abuse claims against institutions and organizations, such as schools, camps, churches, and youth programs. We do not take cases against an individual acting alone, such as a parent, relative, or family friend, when no organization shares responsibility. If that describes your situation, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 can connect you with support.
If a child is in danger right now, call 911. To report suspected child abuse in Colorado, call the state Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 844-264-5437 (844-CO-4-KIDS), available 24 hours a day.
Call Marlo Greer and the team at Greer Law Group at our Denver office at 303-331-6460 for a free, confidential consultation.
How Long Do I Have to File a Child Sexual Abuse Claim in Colorado?
For civil claims based on sexual misconduct, as Colorado law defines it, that accrue on or after January 1, 2022, there is no time limit to file, including for claims against an organization that did not commit the abuse (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7). The same rule applies to older claims if the earlier deadline had not yet run by January 1, 2022.
Other older claims are more complicated. The Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act gave survivors of abuse that happened between 1960 and 2021 until January 1, 2025, to file under the Act, and that window has now closed (C.R.S. 13-20-1203). In 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court also held that the Act cannot be used for abuse before 2022 when every claim previously available under earlier law was already time-barred (Aurora Public Schools v. A.S., 2023 CO 39). The ruling does not affect claims whose earlier deadline had not run by January 1, 2022. Whether an older claim can still be filed depends on the facts, so it is worth asking a lawyer rather than guessing.
One deadline moves quickly. If the organization is a public entity, such as a public school district, a written notice of claim may be required within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109). Missing a required notice can permanently bar the claim, so talk to a lawyer quickly if a public school or other government entity is involved.
Who Can Be Held Responsible Besides the Abuser?
Organizations that work with children are responsible for who they hire, how they screen, how closely they supervise, and what they do the first time someone raises a concern. A claim may involve background checks that were skipped, earlier complaints that went nowhere, an adult allowed to be alone with children against the organization’s own policy, a problem employee quietly moved to another location, or reports to management that never reached authorities.
Colorado’s Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act allows a survivor to bring a claim against an organization that operates or manages a youth-related activity or program if it knew or should have known that the person who committed the abuse, or the program itself, posed a risk of sexual misconduct against a minor, and the abuse happened while the child was taking part in that program (C.R.S. 13-20-1202). For abuse on or after January 1, 2022, there is no deadline to file under the Act (C.R.S. 13-20-1203). These organizations can include public entities, such as school districts and district preschool programs, as well as private youth organizations.
Which Institutions Can Be Held Responsible?
Greer Law Group handles child sexual abuse claims involving:
- Public and private schools, school districts, and preschools
- Colleges and universities, including campus youth programs
- Summer camps and day camps
- Churches, youth ministries, and other religious organizations
- Youth sports teams, clubs, and training programs
- Scouting and after-school programs
- Daycare centers
- Foster placements and residential treatment facilities
- Medical offices and hospitals
Colorado law requires many adults who work with children to report suspected child abuse when they have reasonable cause to know or suspect it, including public and private school employees, doctors and nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, clergy members, juvenile parole and probation officers, and coaches and athletic staff of private sports organizations (C.R.S. 19-3-304). When a mandatory reporter knew and said nothing, that failure can become part of the case.
Adult survivors of abuse by an institution can learn more on our institutional sexual abuse page.
What Kinds of Damages Can Be Recovered?
Two kinds of damages are available in a civil claim: economic and non-economic. Economic damages cover documented costs, including counseling and therapy, medical treatment, psychiatric care, travel to appointments, and lost earnings or reduced earning capacity as the survivor gets older. Non-economic damages cover the harm that doesn’t come with receipts. That can include emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, damage to relationships and trust, and the loss of the life the survivor would otherwise have had.
Punitive damages (called exemplary damages in Colorado) may also be available against a private organization when the conduct was fraudulent, malicious, or willful and wanton. They cannot be included in the original complaint and can be added only after initial disclosures are exchanged and the evidence shows a triable issue (C.R.S. 13-21-102). Public entities, such as public school districts, cannot be required to pay punitive damages (C.R.S. 24-10-114).
What Does It Take to Prove an Organization Is Responsible?
To hold an organization accountable for abuse committed by someone in its care, a claim generally has to show:
- That the organization owed a duty to protect the children in its programs
- That it failed to meet that duty, through hiring, supervision, screening, or its response to complaints
- That the failure allowed the abuse to happen or to continue
- That the child was harmed as a result
The proof usually lives in personnel files, incident reports, internal emails, and complaints the organization would rather not produce. Finding it is the work.
Does a Criminal Case Have to Happen First?
No. A civil claim can move forward whether or not anyone was charged, convicted, or even investigated. The burden of proof in a civil case is lower than in a criminal prosecution, which is why claims sometimes succeed when a criminal case never went anywhere. If the abuser has died or cannot be located, a claim against the institution whose failure allowed the abuse may still be possible.
Will My Child Have to Testify?
Many civil cases resolve before trial, so a child may never have to take the stand. We explain each step to the family before it happens. A parent or legal guardian can bring a claim on behalf of a minor. An adult survivor can file on their own behalf. Because of the change in Colorado law, an adult survivor whose earlier deadline had not run by January 1, 2022, now has no filing deadline.
How Can a Colorado Child Sexual Abuse Lawyer Help?
Institutional abuse cases turn on records, prior complaints, and internal policies that nobody volunteers. Marlo Greer serves on the Board of Directors of CHILD USA, the nonprofit think tank devoted to ending child abuse and neglect. You will talk to a lawyer, not an intake script. Nothing gets filed because you asked a question. Families decide how much to share and when, and the conversation is confidential.
Call Greer Law Group today at 303-331-6460 for a free and confidential consultation.
Child Sexual Abuse FAQs
No. Marlo Greer and Greer Law Group handle child sexual abuse claims against institutions and organizations, such as schools, camps, churches, and youth programs, that allowed the abuse to happen. The firm does not take cases against an individual acting alone, such as a parent, relative, or family friend, when no organization shares responsibility. To report suspected child abuse in Colorado, call 844-264-5437 (844-CO-4-KIDS).
For civil claims based on sexual misconduct, as Colorado law defines it, that accrue on or after January 1, 2022, there is no time limit, including for claims against an organization that did not commit the abuse (C.R.S. 13-80-103.7). Older claims may qualify if the earlier deadline had not run by January 1, 2022. If the organization is a public entity, such as a public school district, a written notice of claim may be required within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109).
Yes. Colorado’s Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act allows a claim against an organization that operates or manages a youth-related activity or program if it knew or should have known that the person who committed the abuse, or the program itself, posed a risk of sexual misconduct against a minor, and the abuse happened while the child was taking part in that program (C.R.S. 13-20-1202). This can include public school districts and district preschool programs as well as private youth organizations.
No. A civil claim can move forward whether or not anyone was charged, convicted, or investigated. The burden of proof in a civil case is lower than in a criminal prosecution.
A parent or legal guardian can bring a claim on behalf of a minor. An adult survivor can file on their own behalf. Colorado removed the filing deadline for civil sexual misconduct claims that accrue on or after January 1, 2022, and for older claims whose earlier deadline had not run by that date.