The decision to talk to an attorney about sexual abuse rarely happens on a single timeline. Some survivors call within days. Others reach that decision years later, after carrying the weight of what happened through medical questions, family conversations, and choices about whether to involve law enforcement. The legal questions arrive on their own track.
A Macon sexual abuse attorney works on those legal questions through a confidential, civil framework that is separate from any criminal investigation. If you or a family member has experienced sexual abuse in Macon, Warner Robins, or anywhere in Middle Georgia, Gautreaux Law has resolved sexual abuse cases for clients since 1998 and has recovered more than $100 million across the firm’s practice areas.
Call (478) 238-9758 or request a confidential consultation
A civil sexual abuse case proceeds on a different track from any criminal investigation. The criminal case, if there is one, is run by the state. The civil case belongs to the survivor, and the survivor decides what happens with it.
Our investigation draws directly on the prosecutorial experience David Cooke brought to the firm from his time as Chief of the Special Victims Unit in Houston County. The same evidence patterns that drove SVU prosecutions, prior complaints, supervision history, what an institution knew and when, drive how we build civil cases against perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them.
The investigation runs on multiple fronts at once:
Medical records when the survivor sought care, reporting records (police, school, workplace, religious institution), and any contemporaneous correspondence (texts, emails, journal entries) that establishes timing and disclosure.
Employer files, school disciplinary records, religious institution files, hiring and supervision records, prior complaints. What the institution knew and when often decides whether institutional liability attaches.
Conversations with our attorneys are protected by attorney-client privilege from the first call. Information you share with us during a consultation does not become evidence and is not shared with anyone outside the firm.
Most sexual abuse cases settle confidentially. The decision to settle, the dollar amount, and the confidentiality terms are the survivor's decisions, not ours.
In the sexual abuse cases we have handled, what shapes the case most is what was documented at the time of disclosure and what records the institution maintained. To discuss your situation with an attorney, call (478) 238-9758.
Sexual abuse and assault cases are one of the firm's primary practice focus areas, alongside wrongful death and medical malpractice. The cases require specific investigative discipline (institutional records, prior complaints, supervision history) and specific litigation discipline (privilege, confidentiality, survivor decision authority).
David Cooke served as Chief of the Special Victims Unit in Houston County before serving two elected terms as District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit. He has tried more than 150 jury cases, including the prosecution of the 2011 Lauren Giddings murder case. That prosecutorial background shapes how civil sexual abuse cases get investigated and tried at Gautreaux Law.
Initial consultations are private and protected by attorney-client privilege. If the case proceeds, court rules in Georgia allow survivors to be identified by initials or pseudonyms in many filings, and most sexual abuse cases resolve through confidential settlements that protect the survivor's identity in any public record.
A civil sexual abuse case has different rules than a criminal case, and the differences favor survivors in important ways.
A criminal conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A civil case requires proof by a preponderance of the evidence, which means more likely than not. A perpetrator who was never criminally charged, or who was charged but acquitted, can still be held civilly liable when the evidence supports it.
The survivor decides whether to file, when to file, whether to accept any settlement offer, and whether to pursue a confidential resolution or a public trial. Our role is to evaluate the case, advise on the legal options, and execute on the decisions the survivor makes. We do not file a civil case the survivor has not authorized, and we do not settle on terms the survivor has not approved.
Georgia courts permit survivors of sexual abuse to be identified by pseudonym or initials in case captions and filings. Most sexual abuse cases also include confidentiality provisions in any settlement that protect the survivor’s identity from any public record.
When a sexual abuse case involves a school, employer, religious institution, or other entity that owed a duty of care, the institution can be held civilly liable separately from the perpetrator. Institutional liability is often where the recovery actually comes from, particularly when the perpetrator has limited assets.
To discuss the options that apply in your situation, call (478) 238-9758.
Georgia has separate statute of limitations rules for adult sexual abuse cases and for childhood sexual abuse cases. The childhood rules are significantly extended under the 2015 Hidden Predator Act.
A civil case arising from sexual abuse of an adult must generally be filed within two years of the abuse under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, the same statute of limitations that governs other personal injury cases.
Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33.1(b)(2)(A), a survivor of childhood sexual abuse can file a civil case at any time before reaching age 23, or within two years of the date the survivor knew or had reason to know that the abuse caused injury, supported by competent medical or psychological evidence. The same statute governs cases involving sexual abuse of students by educators or school staff.
Under § 9-3-33.1(b)(1), the deadline is the survivor’s 23rd birthday. The Hidden Predator Act amendments did not extend this deadline retroactively.
When a survivor files after age 23 under the discovery rule, the court conducts a pretrial hearing to determine when the survivor knew or had reason to know of the connection between the abuse and the resulting injury.
If you are unsure which deadline applies in your situation, the answer turns on facts a consultation can usually resolve. Call (478) 238-9758 to discuss what timeline applies.
A civil sexual abuse case has different rules than a criminal case, and the differences favor survivors in important ways.
Each case is different and depends on its specific facts and circumstances. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Jarome Gautreaux has practiced personal injury and wrongful death law in Georgia since 2000. He has recovered more than $100 million for clients across motor vehicle, premises liability, medical malpractice, and abuse cases. He served as a federal law clerk to U.S. District Judge Richard Mills (Central District of Illinois) before entering private practice. He co-authored Georgia Law of Torts: Trial Preparation and Practice (Thomson Reuters), authored Injury and Accident Cases in Georgia, and serves as an adjunct professor at Mercer University School of Law.
K. David Cooke Jr. practices in sexual assault, wrongful death, and medical malpractice cases at Gautreaux Law. He served two elected terms as District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit and previously served as Chief of the Special Victims Unit in Houston County, where he oversaw the prosecution of sex offense cases. He has tried more than 150 jury cases, including the prosecution of the 2011 Lauren Giddings murder case, and was named Macon Bar Association Attorney of the Year in 2019. The prosecutorial background, particularly the SVU work, shapes how the firm handles civil sexual abuse cases.
Griffin Green is a published member of the Mercer Law Review and previously served as a clerk in the State Court of Bibb County. He works on case investigation, motion practice, and trial preparation across the firm’s sexual abuse, wrongful death, and personal injury practice.
In most sexual abuse cases, yes. Initial consultations are protected by attorney-client privilege from the first call. If a case proceeds, Georgia courts permit survivors to be identified by initials or pseudonyms in many filings. Most sexual abuse cases also include confidentiality provisions in any settlement that prevent disclosure of the survivor’s identity to the public.
For adult sexual abuse, the deadline is generally two years from the abuse under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. For childhood sexual abuse, the deadline depends on when the abuse occurred. For abuse on or after July 1, 2015, the deadline is the survivor’s 23rd birthday or two years from the date of discovery, whichever is later. For abuse before July 1, 2015, the deadline is the survivor’s 23rd birthday. Because the deadlines turn on specific facts, a consultation is the only way to know what applies in your situation.
No. The civil and criminal cases run on separate tracks with different burdens of proof and different rules of evidence. A civil case can proceed even when there is no criminal prosecution, and a perpetrator who was acquitted in a criminal case can still be held civilly liable.
You do. The survivor holds settlement authority. Our role is to evaluate any offer, advise on what it likely covers and what it likely leaves on the table, and execute on the decision the survivor makes. We do not settle on terms the survivor has not approved.
Often, yes. Schools, employers, religious institutions, and other entities that owed a duty of care can be held civilly liable separately from the perpetrator, particularly when there is evidence the institution knew or should have known about the risk. Institutional liability is often where the recovery actually comes from when the perpetrator has limited assets.
We handle sexual abuse cases on a contingency fee basis. You owe no attorney’s fees unless we recover money in your case. Our firm advances all costs of investigation, expert witnesses, court filings, and depositions. Initial consultations are free and confidential.
If you or a family member has experienced sexual abuse in Macon, Warner Robins, or anywhere in Georgia, Gautreaux Law will review your case at no cost and in full confidence.
“No fee unless we recover” refers only to attorney’s fees. Court costs and other case expenses are typically advanced by our firm and reimbursed from any recovery. Contingent fee arrangements are not permitted in all types of cases. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is different and depends on its specific facts and circumstances.
Reviewed by the attorneys at Gautreaux Law, Attorneys at Law. Last updated April 2026.
"*" indicates required fields
778 Mulberry Street
Macon, GA 31201
