allison.mahoney, Author at ALM Law • Page 2 of 7

Sexual Abuse Lawyer in Colorado: What Survivors Need to Know About Civil Lawsuits

If you’re a survivor of sexual abuse in Colorado, you may not realize that the civil legal system offers a path to accountability that operates entirely independently from anything that happened — or didn’t happen — in the criminal process. A civil lawsuit isn’t about whether the State can prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Illinois Foster Care Abuse: Children Locked Up Because the System Failed Them

Foster Care / allison.mahoney

If you’re searching for an Illinois foster care abuse attorney, you may already know that the state’s child welfare system has a long and troubled history of failing the children in its care. A report released this spring by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Representative Jen Kiggans (R-VA) puts fresh federal weight behind that

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Crime Victim Rights in Colorado: What the VRA Means for You

Victims Rights / allison.mahoney

Colorado state capitol building for Victim Rights Act post

Crime victims in Colorado have legal rights — but most people don’t find out what those rights are until they’re already deep in a process that feels confusing and exclusionary. The Colorado Victim Rights Act (VRA) is supposed to change that. In practice, it’s inconsistently applied, and a lot of people navigate the criminal justice

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Civil Options for College Athletes After Title IX Abuse

Title IX / allison.mahoney

When an educational institution ignores or mishandles abuse involving a college athlete, civil law may provide avenues for accountability beyond internal processes. For athletes whose abuse was minimized, delayed, or improperly addressed by their school, a Title IX process may feel incomplete—or may never have meaningfully occurred at all. Civil law exists to address institutional

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What Happens During a Title IX Investigation?

Title IX / allison.mahoney

A Title IX investigation is a structured, administrative process used by schools to assess whether alleged misconduct, including sexual harassment, violates institutional policy. While every school’s procedures vary somewhat, most Title IX investigations follow a similar framework governed by federal regulations, institutional rules, and evolving case law. Title IX applies not only to classrooms and

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SafeSport: What Every Athlete Needs to Know

Sexual Assault, Title IX / allison.mahoney

Image for SafeSport post of gymnast doing handstand

SafeSport did not come about by accident, and it did not come about because sports organizations suddenly chose transparency. The U.S. Center for SafeSport was created in 2017 in response to decades of sexual abuse, grooming, and institutional failure in Olympic and amateur sports—failures that were laid bare most publicly by the abuse perpetrated by

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Colorado Teacher Patricio Alejandro Illanes Arrested: Legal Options for Families Considering Civil Lawsuits Against Schools

CSAM / allison.mahoney

Hand on keyboard depicting cyber abuse in Colorado

Colorado authorities recently arrested Patricio Alejandro Illanes, an educator who worked in multiple schools and youth-serving organizations, following an investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation of minors. According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began after several online safety reports were submitted through a national cyber tipline. Law enforcement has stated that investigators

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Why Athletes Don’t Report Abuse

Sexual Assault, Victims Rights / allison.mahoney

Athlete sitting from behind looking out onto a city

When people ask why athletes don’t report abuse, the question is often framed as a moral one: Why didn’t they say something? Why didn’t they come forward sooner? That framing misses the point. Silence is rarely about weakness or credibility. For many athletes, especially those abused as children or teenagers, silence is a rational response

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How Grooming Operates in Sports

Sexual Assault, Victims Rights / allison.mahoney

Volleyball player standing behind a net on a volleyball court

Grooming in sports is often misunderstood because it rarely looks like abuse at the beginning. It is not a single act or a sudden event. Grooming is a pattern of conduct that unfolds over time—one that involves gaining access to an athlete, building trust and dependence, gradually crossing boundaries, and creating conditions where abuse can

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Sexual Abuse by Medical Professionals in Colorado: What Survivors Should Know

Sexual Assault, Victims Rights / allison.mahoney

Abuse by medical professionals. Image of doctor holding patient's hand.

When you seek medical or therapeutic care, you are placing extraordinary trust in the person treating you. Doctors, nurses, therapists, and other healthcare providers hold significant authority, and Colorado law expects them to use that authority responsibly. When a provider abuses that power through sexual misconduct, the experience can be profoundly destabilizing. Many survivors are

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