Child Sexual Abuse
The firm represents victims of child sexual abuse. We represented Aaron Fisher, formerly known as Victim 1 in the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State University scandal. Aaron was serially raped by Mr. Sandusky, and was the first victim to go to the authorities and press charges against Mr. Sandusky, which ultimately triggered Mr. Sandusky's conviction of 45 counts of sexual abuse of ten children. The firm engaged in complex and protracted settlement negotiations with Penn State's settlement facilitator, Kenneth Feinberg, and in direct negotiations with Penn State’s outside counsel. In May 2013, the parties reached a settlement in principle, the terms of which are confidential. Since then, this firm has represented nearly a dozen victims of child sexual abuse by Mr. Sandusky, in claims against Penn State University on the grounds that the school owed and breached a duty to protect the victims against a known pedophile with virtually full access to the campus. We also represented a victim of childhood sexual abuse by two priests and a teacher in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Confidential settlements were reached in all of these matters.
In connection with the Penn State matter, Michael Boni was interviewed by national and local media outlets on issues surrounding the criminal trial of Mr. Sandusky and the reactions of the victims to the defenses mounted by his counsel. Mr. Boni appears in the following clips speaking on behalf of the victims: