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Risk Alerts

Sexual Abuse Claims - Your Biggest Financial Risk!

What is your organization's biggest financial liability exposure? Sexual abuse claims. These claims can take decades to be reported and often involve multiple victims. The Archdiocese of Portland, for example, has paid out $53 million for 130 sexual abuse claims. Victims can file claims for violation of constitutional rights in Federal Court, which exposes the accused organization to unlimited liability and plaintiff attorney fees. The Oregon Tort Claims Act's cap on damages for public entities does not protect Oregon public entities when claims are filed in Federal Court. That is why it is important to manage the risks and obtain high liability limits. PACE provides each member with $10 million dollars, per occurrence, of liability coverage for claims of sexual abuse.

PACE is here to help. If your district receives notice of an inappropriate staff-student relationship within the district, the PACE preloss program offers a number of services to help you through this difficult situation. PACE can assist with communications to parents, the school community and media, as well as with handling the investigation, the termination of the employment relationship, and the subsequent safety team meetings and trainings. Contact PACE attorney, Rebekah Cook at 800.578.6722 or email rcook@osba.org for more information.  

Recently OSBA and PACE provided a regional training on "Supervising Minors - What you need to do to protect minors and prevent liability claims." Each participant received handouts to identify and prevent these inappropriate relationships. It is an excellent source of information to assist you with ideas for preventing sexual abuse claims. Click here to download the file or call Maricela Highsmith at 800.578.6722 or email mhighsmith@osba.org.