You have just been sexually assaulted. You may be scared, angry, confused or unsure what to do next. You may not want anyone to know. You may be wondering whether you should call the police, go to the hospital, tell someone you trust or simply go home and try to process what happened.
Those are difficult decisions to make after a traumatic experience.
You do not need to have everything figured out right now. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself, preserve important evidence and begin understanding your legal options.
At The Injury Counsel, attorney David Gregory represents survivors of sexual assault in St. Louis and investigates not only who committed the assault, but whether a hotel, employer, business, school, property owner or other institution helped create the circumstances that allowed it to happen.
That distinction can be extremely important.
Your immediate safety comes first. If you are in danger or need emergency help, call 911 or get somewhere you feel safe.
You may also want to contact someone you trust and seek medical attention. A hospital can address injuries, discuss testing and treatment, and explain options for collecting and preserving evidence through a sexual assault forensic examination.
You may be asking yourself: Should I report the assault? What if I know the person who did it? What if alcohol was involved? What if I cannot remember everything? What if I waited before telling anyone?
Those questions are common, and the circumstances surrounding every assault are different.
From a potential civil case standpoint, there may also be evidence that needs to be identified quickly. Surveillance video can be overwritten. Electronic access records can be lost. Employees can leave. Witnesses can become harder to locate.
You do not have to know what evidence exists or where to find it. That is part of what an experienced sexual assault attorney can investigate for you.
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to pursue a civil case separate from any criminal investigation.
A criminal case focuses on whether a crime was committed and whether the government will prosecute the person accused of committing it. A civil case focuses on responsibility for the harm you suffered and the compensation that may be available.
Most importantly, a civil investigation does not necessarily stop with the person who committed the assault.
There may be other people or organizations whose actions need to be examined.
If an assault occurred at a hotel, for example, we may need to determine who had access to the room, how master keys were controlled, whether employees were properly screened, whether management knew about previous concerning behavior and whether security procedures were actually followed.
The same questions can arise with employers, apartment complexes, schools, businesses and other institutions.
Sometimes the person who committed the assault is only part of the story.
Possibly. A hotel is not automatically responsible simply because an assault happened on its property. The facts matter.
But imagine an employee uses a master key to enter a guest’s room.
Who gave that employee access? Was the employee properly screened? Were there previous complaints? Did management know about concerning behavior? Were there rules governing master keys? Were those rules followed?
Those questions can change a case significantly.
A hotel sexual assault investigation may involve electronic key-card records, surveillance footage, employee files, background checks, incident reports, previous complaints, security procedures, staff training and internal communications.
A key-card log could show who entered a room and when. Surveillance footage could show where an employee was before or after the assault. An earlier complaint could show that management knew about a potential danger.
The important evidence may have been created days, months or even years before the assault occurred.
That is why we look beyond the incident itself.
Yes.
David Gregory of The Injury Counsel has secured a $27 million result in a hotel assault case.
That result matters not because every case will produce the same outcome, it will not, but because these cases require attorneys to understand where to look for answers.
A serious case against a hotel or other institution can involve human resources records, electronic access systems, security procedures, surveillance footage, corporate policies, training materials, witness testimony and internal communications.
Large companies may also have lawyers, insurance carriers and investigators involved almost immediately. The survivor deserves someone investigating just as seriously on their behalf.
At The Injury Counsel, that investigation is a central part of the case.
One of the first questions we ask is simple: How was this allowed to happen?
The answer may require looking far beyond the assault itself.
Depending on the case, our investigation may include security footage, electronic key records, employee files, hiring and background-check records, previous complaints, incident reports, police records, witness statements, company policies, staff training and communications between managers or employees.
We may also investigate whether similar incidents happened before. If someone knew there was a danger and failed to act, that can become an important part of determining responsibility.
Evidence can disappear with time, which is one reason it can be important to begin investigating as soon as possible.
You should not assume that waiting to report an assault means you no longer have a case.
There are many reasons someone may not immediately tell another person what happened. You may have been frightened. You may have known the person who assaulted you. You may have needed time to process what happened.
Every case is different.
An attorney can look at the evidence that still exists, speak with potential witnesses and determine what records may be available.
Do not decide for yourself that too much time has passed or that there is not enough evidence. Let someone familiar with these cases look at the circumstances first.
That can raise important questions about the employer.
An investigation may examine how the person was hired, what type of background screening occurred, whether there were previous complaints, what supervisors knew and whether the employee’s job gave them special access to customers, guests, patients or other individuals.
For example, a hotel employee may have access to guest rooms. A security employee may be placed in a position of trust. An employee at a residential property may have access to apartments.
The fact that someone was able to use their employment or position of trust to gain access to a survivor can be an important part of a civil investigation.
No two sexual assault cases are the same, and there is no standard settlement amount.
Depending on the circumstances, a civil claim may seek compensation for medical treatment, counseling and psychological care, physical injuries, lost income, reduced earning capacity, emotional and psychological harm, pain and suffering and other losses resulting from the assault.
Other types of damages may also be available when supported by the facts and applicable law.
A previous settlement or verdict, including The Injury Counsel’s $27 million hotel assault result, should never be interpreted as a promise about another case.
What matters is understanding the full extent of what happened to you and identifying every person or organization that may legally bear responsibility for it.
Do not assume you have unlimited time, but do not assume it is too late either.
Missouri does not have one deadline that applies to every civil sexual assault case. The applicable time limit can depend on the survivor’s age when the assault occurred, who is being sued, the type of claim being brought and other circumstances.
Missouri also has specific statutes addressing certain claims involving childhood sexual abuse.
Because those rules can be complicated, the safest approach is to have the facts reviewed rather than trying to determine the deadline yourself.
Time matters for another reason as well: evidence does not last forever.
Security footage can be deleted. Electronic records may be overwritten. Employees change jobs. Witnesses move. Memories fade.
The sooner an investigation begins, the better the opportunity may be to identify and preserve important evidence.
You may still have legal options.
This is particularly important for survivors of childhood sexual abuse because Missouri law contains special provisions governing certain civil claims involving abuse that occurred when someone was a minor.
Whether a particular claim can still be pursued depends on the facts and the law applicable to that case.
Do not assume the answer is no simply because years have passed.
An attorney can review when the assault occurred, your age at the time, who may have been responsible and which Missouri laws may apply.
A criminal investigation and a civil case are two different things.
Police and prosecutors investigate whether a crime occurred and whether criminal charges should be brought.
Your civil attorney represents you.
That attorney can investigate the broader circumstances surrounding the assault, identify potentially responsible businesses or institutions, work to preserve evidence and pursue compensation for the harm you suffered.
There may be circumstances where a civil investigation uncovers evidence or responsible parties that are not the focus of the criminal case.
That is why having someone independently looking at what happened can matter.
You should not have to investigate this yourself.
You should not have to figure out who had access to a hotel room, whether an employee passed a background check, whether surveillance footage exists or whether a company ignored an earlier complaint.
That is our job.
David Gregory and The Injury Counsel have experience investigating serious sexual assault claims involving institutions, including hotel assault litigation resulting in a $27 million recovery.
We know these cases can be about much more than one person’s actions.
They can be about the company that gave someone access. The manager who ignored a warning. The security procedure that was never followed. The complaint that should have been taken seriously.
If you were sexually assaulted in St. Louis and believe a hotel, employer, business, property owner or other institution may have played a role in what happened, talk to The Injury Counsel.
You do not need to know whether you have a case before you call.
That is what we are here to help you determine.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case depends on its individual facts and circumstances. The information provided here is general information and is not intended as legal advice.
Written by The Injury Counsel | Legally reviewed by David Gregory, JD | Last reviewed: 9/25/26
