Sexual Abuse, Assault, and Molestation
Tyson & Mendes defends entities in which sexual abuse, assault, and/or molestation (SAM) is alleged. Attorneys in the SAM group represent schools, sports leagues, non-profit organizations, youth serving organizations, public entities and more. The firm handles some of the nation’s most sensitive, high-profile litigation with continued success.
Susan Oliver heads the SAM team where she has handled over 250 SAM cases and regularly speaks at conferences about the unique issues the defense faces in these cases. Tyson & Mendes understands the especially tense, high-stakes nature of this litigation, and provides clients with the consistent, responsive, and caring service needed to deliver outstanding results.
Tyson & Mendes Saves Client $90 Million in High-Profile Sexual Abuse Case
April 14, 2025 8:41am
Los Angeles, CA, April 14, 2025 — A Los Angeles County jury has returned a verdict awarding $6 million, with just 25% apportionment to Tyson & Mendes’ client, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Tyson & Mendes Saved the Insurance Industry More Than $679 Million in 2023: Nationwide Insurance and Civil Litigation Defense Firm Saves Clients Nearly $3 Billion in Four Years
January 5, 2024 2:32pm
SAN DIEGO (January 5, 2024) – Tyson & Mendes LLP, one of the nation’s fastest-growing insurance and civil litigation defense firms, saved its insurance industry and self-insured clients $679.9 million in aggregate damages claims in 2023, bringing the firm’s savings results...
Tyson & Mendes Saved the Insurance Industry Over $1 Billion in 2022: Nationwide Insurance and Civil Litigation Defense Firm Tops $2.27 Billion in Savings for Clients in the Past Three Years
January 18, 2023 11:56am
SAN DIEGO (January 18, 2023) – Tyson & Mendes LLP, one of the nation’s fastest-growing insurance and civil litigation defense firms, saved its insurance industry and self-insured clients an astonishing $1.07 billion in aggregate damages claims in 2022...
Tyson & Mendes Expands Sexual Torts Practice with Addition of New York City Prosecutor Danielle Pascale
October 11, 2022 2:24pm
New York, New York (October 11, 2022) – Tyson & Mendes LLP – one of the nation’s fastest-growing insurance and civil litigation defense firms, announced today the addition of Danielle Pascale as a partner in the firm’s New York office...
Tyson & Mendes Saves School District Nearly $30 Million in Sexual Assault Trial
May 18, 2022 2:08pm
LOS ANGELES (May 12, 2022) – Nationwide civil litigation defense firm Tyson & Mendes LLP announced today a major victory in a $30.6 million sexual assault jury trial against Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, in which the jury awarded less than 3% of the plaintiff’s demand at trial.
Applying the Tyson & Mendes Methods in a Case Involving Sexual Abuse in a Colorado Hospital
Author: Ashley Paige Fetyko | May 8, 2023 3:24pm
A hospital in Colorado is a named defendant in a case stemming from the actions of a nurse formerly in its employ who allegedly perpetrated sexual assaults on female patients while they were unconscious or incapacitated...
New York’s Adult Survivors Act Expands Potential Liability for Perpetrators and Institutions
Author: Danielle Pascale | March 3, 2023 11:04am
On May 24th, 2022, the New York State Adult Survivors Act (known colloquially as the “ASA”) was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. It became effective on November 24, 2022, and will apply for one year, through November 23, 2023...
Arizona Claim Preclusion: A Powerful Tool to Stop the Re-Litigation of a Claim
Author: Sitar Bhatt | July 30, 2021 9:00am
What is an insurance carrier to do when a claimant attempts to re-litigate a matter which reached a final judgment and involves identical parties? The carrier should check with its defense counsel for the merit of arguing claim preclusion.
Breaking Down New York’s Child Victims Act
Author: Harry Harrison | September 30, 2019 10:00am
In New York, 2019 has brought sweeping changes to the time limits applicable to matters arising from childhood sexual abuse. Through what is commonly known as the Child Victims Act (“CVA”), legal action for childhood sexual abuse will be available for longer periods of time and many civil cases previously barred by the passage of time may now be pursued by individuals alleging abuse suffered as children. New York is no longer one of the most...
California Case Law Update
Author: Emily Beck | March 4, 2019 9:00am
Westport Insurance Corp. v. California Casualty Management Co.[1]
California’s Ninth Circuit recently affirmed that an excess insurer for a California school district had to cover $2.6 million of the total $15.8 million settlement paid by the primary insurer to resolve a case involving three former students’ claims of sexual abuse, finding that the lower court had properly apportioned the settlement between the two insurance carriers.
Sexual Abuse Litigation and Coverage Conference
May 6, 2025 4:38pm
October 7, 2025 New York City Bar Association 42 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036-6689 Hosted by Perrin Conferences
Sexual Abuse Litigation and Coverage Conference
August 20, 2024 12:28pm
Damages, Valuation, Settlements, and Nuclear Verdicts®
Sexual Abuse and Molestation: Coast to Coast Strategies for Difficult Cases – Spring Series
April 11, 2024 12:10pm
On May 29, experienced and dynamic partners from across the country will come together to offer critical insights into one of the most difficult and potentially explosive types of cases: sexual abuse and molestation.
Trending Topics & Annual Update – Webinar Series –
Topic 1: Changing Landscapes in Sexual Abuse and Molestation Cases
February 17, 2023 10:10am
With changes in sexual abuse and molestation (SAM) liability over the past year, and Nuclear Verdicts® on the rise, insurance professionals and their counsel must be prepared and proactive! Join Tyson & Mendes SAM trial attorneys as they break down how to prevent and defend against Nuclear Verdicts® in cases with these types of claims.