Amicus Advocacy
The Amicus Advocacy Project
An amicus brief comes from the Latin term “amicus curiae” which means “friend of the court.” Although most amicus briefs are persuasively written to support one side of a case, they allow interested, third parties the chance to provide the court with information that is relevant and helpful to the case but that may not otherwise be brought to the court’s attention.
CHILD USA files amicus briefing in cases whose outcomes impact the civil rights of children. We have been delighted to work with numerous attorneys across the United States, and welcome partnerships with law firms to work on pro bono matters with us.
If you are an attorney who needs amicus support or would like your firm to have the opportunity to work on cutting edge amicus briefs involving child protection, please contact us at [email protected].
Briefs
M.R. v. ESCONDIDO UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, ET AL.
In 2019, the California Legislature amended Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 340.1 to revive previously-expired civil claims for child sexual abuse. The Defendant argues that the revival provisions are unconstitutional under the California Constitution as applied in this case....
COURTNEY WILD V. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
On September 24, 2007, federal prosecutors entered into a secret, pre-indictment non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with Jeffrey Epstein to resolve multiple civil claims for sexual abuse, including those of Courtney Wild. CHILD USA and the Marsh Law Firm wrote this...
AMANDA BRANDT v. ROY POMPA
In July 2021, the Supreme Court of Ohio accepted a petition to consider whether the cap on non-economic damages for child sexual abuse claims is unconstitutional. CHILD USA and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children wrote this amicus brief, arguing...
EMMETT W. CALDWELL v. CITY OF NEW YORK; NYC BOARD OF EDUCATION, et al.
In August 2021, the Southern District of New York dismissed the case of the plaintiff, finding that the provisions of the New York Child Victims Act that revive claims for child sexual abuse are limited to those for which the plaintiff is under age 55. CHILD USA wrote...
JONATHAN R., MINOR, by NEXT FRIEND, SARAH DIXON, ET AL., v. JIM JUSTICE, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS GOVERNOR OF WEST VIRGINIA, ET AL.
In July 2021, the Southern District of West Virginia granted the Governor of West Virginia’s Motion to Dismiss a case brought by a group of children who are or were placed in the foster care system. Despite the plaintiffs’ claims that the foster care system in West...
JOSEPH KASTNER v. JOHN SA DOE, ET AL.,
In 2019, the New York General Assembly passed the Child Victims Act that revived child sexual abuse claims for one year. Defendant in this case challenged, the constitutionality of the Act. With its pro bono partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP, CHILD USA wrote this amicus...
STEVEN DOUGLAS ROCKETT v. N.S.
This amicus brief was written as a response to Defendant’s argument that a conviction for an Attempt to Violate 18 USC § 2251, Sexual Exploitation of Children, does not count as a true violation for the purposes of 18 USC § 2255, the statute allowing victims of...
IN RE JOHN DOE
This amicus letter was written to support a Petition for Writ of Mandamus where a Plaintiff’s lawsuit was barred based on the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine. Includes issue of whether a private school with a religious sounding name and/or loose religious...
IN RE: FORTIETH STATEWIDE INVESTIGATING GRAND JURY
This amicus brief was written in response to Defendant dioceses subjected to a grand jury investigation and its argument that private attorneys who have knowledge of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report must keep all information confidential. Issues include whether the...
MONTANA v. TIPTON
This amicus brief was written in support of a Petition for Writ of Certioari where the Supreme Court of Montana concluded that the DNA provision was constitutional, but that it did not allow for the revival of previously expired claims. Issues include whether...
MORROW v. FORD
This amicus brief was written to support Petitioner’s writ of habeas corpus following a murder conviction and death sentence, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel where trial counsel did not conduct an investigation into the Petitioner’s childhood. Issue...
GALLAGHER v. DIOCESE OF PALM BEACH, INC.
This amicus brief was written to request a United States Supreme Court ruling after a lawsuit initiated by a priest for defamation against a Catholic diocese was dismissed based on the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine. Issues include whether the Florida case should...