BALTIMORE, Md., Sept. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Janet, Janet and Suggs, LLC (JJS), a national plaintiffs’ law firm that devotes much of its practice to seeking a full measure of justice for sexual abuse survivors, announced today that it has added preeminent Catholic Church sexual abuse attorney, Richard Serbin, to the firm.
“Richard is a pioneer in the fight to help survivors of abuse by priests and clergy get the justice they deserve,” said Howard A. Janet, managing partner of JJS. “He filed his first case against the Church nearly fifteen years before Spotlight exposed the depraved, despicable conduct of the Church. Richard uncovered the existence of the ‘secret archives’ maintained by bishops where accounts of abuse were held and he’s the only attorney to secure a verdict against a diocese, a bishop and a ‘predator priest’ in Pennsylvania to date. More recently, he provided extensive expert and factual testimony to the PA Grand Jury and assisted the Office of the Attorney General in identifying 109 child predators.”
Mr. Serbin’s career and accomplishments have been profiled extensively, including features in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Beast and Washington Post, among others. He is the author of When Clergy Fail Their Flocks and has taught numerous continuing education seminars on the topic.
“JJS was founded on the belief that the law should be used to help those who have been wronged, who have been harmed, who have been abused - whether that’s in the context of obstetrical or other medical malpractice, environmental contamination, dangerous drugs or medical devices, or institutional sexual abuse,” said Mr. Janet. “We’re in the midst of an epidemic of sexual abuse. For years, survivors have endured massive trauma with little or no hope of securing the justice they deserve. We aim to change that.”
Thus far, JJS has recovered hundreds of millions on behalf of survivors of institutionally enabled sexual abuse. In addition to representing victims of sexual abuse that was enabled by the Catholic Church, JJS represents women in lawsuits alleging they were sexually abused at the University of Southern California student health center by an OBGYN and women who were abused by an OBGYN who had fraudulently obtained a license to practice medicine. Previously, JJS represented Victim Six in the sexual abuse litigation against Penn State University and its former football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and thousands of women whose pelvic exams were secretly photographed by a Johns Hopkins Hospital OBGYN.
Focusing on Church sexual abuse cases along with Mr. Serbin will be attorney Andrew S. Janet. Prior to joining JJS, Mr. Janet was an associate attorney in the litigation department of Cleary Gottlieb, a leading international law firm, where he participated in high-profile litigation and investigations in which billions of dollars were at stake. Mr. Janet received his BS (cum laude) from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and received his JD from New York University School of Law, where he served as Executive Editor of the Law Review and was the first student to have two articles published in the Law Review as a student.
According to the Grand Jury's report, Catholic priests representing more than 100 Pennsylvania parishes abused thousands of boys and girls over nearly three-quarters of a century, beginning in the late 1940's. The Church's own records – previously hidden in “secret archives” that were first uncovered and made public by Mr. Serbin -- enabled the Grand Jury to identify over 1,000 individual victims, although the jurors explicitly state that the number of actual children victimized as a result of this scandal may well be into the thousands, if not tens of thousands.
“I am confident that there are thousands of survivors who have yet to come forward in this matter,” said Richard Serbin. “I have been consulted by and worked with hundreds of survivors who were abused by the priests they trusted but remained silent for fears of cultural and institutional retaliation. We urge all victims to break their silence and speak up. We want survivors to know they will be believed, and we are here to help you seek the justice you deserve.”
For additional information or to join this litigation, please visit the case information page at https://www.jjsjustice.com/church Those interested may also contact JJS toll-free at 1-877-692-3862. All inquiries are strictly confidential.
ABOUT JANET, JANET & SUGGS, LLC (www.jjsjustice.com)
JJS represents plaintiffs in complex, high stakes litigation in the areas of sexual abuse, medical malpractice, fraudulent business practices, pharmaceutical and medical device product liability, qui tam litigation, Federal Tort Claims Act and environmental litigation. The firm has successfully litigated against some the nation’s largest and most prestigious organizations, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Penn State University, DuPont, Dow Corning, Baxter Healthcare, Bayer, Wyeth and the Mayo Clinic, among others.
The firm’s practice is national in scope and JJS attorneys have been awarded dozens of national accolades for competence and ethics. Whether working solely or hand-in-hand with other law firms, JJS has won verdicts and negotiated settlements exceeding $1 billion. Unlike many firms, the attorneys at Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC actually try cases – and have notched record-setting and “historic” verdicts in courts across the country. This provides JJS the leverage necessary to negotiate record-breaking settlements. JJS includes in-house medical experts, including a board-certified OB/GYN and RN. Some of the firm’s most successful cases were rejected by other preeminent law firms.
JJS understands that how difficult it is for sexual abuse survivors to come forward, which is one of the many reasons we treat each survivor with the care and compassion that we'd want for ourselves and our families.
CONTACT
Rachel Henderson
Warschawski for Janet, Janet & Suggs, LLC
410.367.2700
Rachel.henderson@warschawski.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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