Matt Casey: Penn State Should Reach Out to Child Sex Victims to Avoid Lawsuits

Mario Cattabiani

by Mario Cattabiani — November 17, 2011

news-02.jpg

How To Get Your Free Initial Consultation

To start an evaluation of your case, please complete the form below. The more information you can provide, the better able we will be to determine if we can help you.

We will review the information and let you know by email shortly if we may be able to handle your matter and what the next steps may be.

*This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

Months after the original allegations came out, the full story of what happened in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal has yet to be heard. The only way it will come to light is through civil lawsuits, which will raise challenging legal issues, according to Philadelphia personal injury attorney Matt Casey.

Lawyers for victims keep coming forward in recent days, and this seems to indicate that the criminal charges former football coach Jerry Sandusky faces will also include civil lawsuits.

Casey, a founding partner of Ross Feller Casey, LLP, said "new facts are going to come out, I'm sure, in the civil litigation."

"It's one of the reasons that Penn State and the other potential defendants may decide to do whatever they can to prevent that from happening, and people going under oath. It's very dangerous."

One of the many legal complications surrounding these cases is the fact that the state-related university is getting money from Pennsylvania, and thus it may be able to claim limited liability based on this status.

Casey indicates this is not the case.

"They are not entitled to sovereign immunity," he said, adding that that doesn't mean the university will not attempt to invoke it. "But the appellate case law is pretty clear on that."

Disclaimer: Ross Feller Casey, LLP provides legal advice only after an attorney-client relationship is formed. Our website is an introduction to the firm and does not create a relationship between our attorneys and clients. An attorney-client relationship is formed only after a written agreement is signed by the client and the firm. Because every case is unique, the description of awards and summary of cases successfully handled are not intended to imply or guarantee that same success in other cases. Ross Feller Casey, LLP represents catastrophically injured persons and their families in injury and wrongful death cases, providing legal representation in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.