20 Mar, 2024 Claim of Prior Knowledge of Sexual Abuse Prevents Insurance Coverage By Debbie Ausburn A federal district court in Arkansas, construing Arkansas law, recently determined that an exclusion in an insurance policy for “prior...
13 Mar, 2024 Lawyers’ Toolkits Can Make Crises Worse By Debbie Ausburn A story focusing on the Mormon church’s response to child sexual abuse allegations reminds us that lawyers’ instincts can sometimes make...
21 Feb, 2024 Meaning of Facebook Posts Goes to the Jury By Debbie Ausburn A Virginia judge recently denied a school board's motion to dismiss a lawsuit based on newly-discovered Facebook posts. The suit started...
05 Feb, 2024 Children Are at More Risk from Peers than from Adults By Debbie Ausburn Britain recently recognized, in a report released by the NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council), that 52% of alleged offenders in...
27 Jan, 2024 Strong Mentoring Relationships May Support Resilience After Childhood Trauma By Debbie Ausburn A recent study has found a strong correlation between positive adult-child relationships and good mental health outcomes in young...
08 Jan, 2024 School’s Mandated Reports Shield It From Liability By Debbie Ausburn A Pennsylvania federal district court opinion has some valuable lessons for youth-serving organizations. A teacher developed what turned...
06 Jan, 2024 Judge Denies $21 Million Fee Request by Plaintiff's Attorneys in Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Case By Debbie Ausburn The judge overseeing the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy case has denied a request from plaintiffs' attorneys for $21 million in fees....
06 Dec, 2023 Mandated Reporter Acquitted By Debbie Ausburn An Arkansas jury has acquitted a school employee for failure to reports his brother’s sexual abuse of various children. The brother pled...
23 Oct, 2023 Yes, Children Can Be Charged with Child Pornography By Debbie Ausburn An incident from Ohio that has been making the rounds of the Internet started when a parent discovered that his 11-year-old daughter had...
16 Oct, 2023 Eye-Popping Jury Verdict Against California School By Debbie Ausburn We have another eye-popping verdict in a child abuse case. Jurors in Riverside County Superior Court recently awarded $135 million to...
28 Aug, 2023 Another Advocate for Due Process in Child Abuse Registries By Debbie Ausburn A county comptroller in Pennsylvania waded into the long-simmering dispute about the lack of due process in child maltreatment...
23 Aug, 2023 Incompetent Investigations Create Yet More Barriers to Recruiting Good Foster Parents By Debbie Ausburn A recent story from Washington state outlines another barrier to recruiting good foster parents, specifically jumping to conclusions...