Question

Emotional Abuse

Asked 18 December 2008 · 2 answers

The question

Can I sue my parents for emotional damages to myself and my daughter due to unnecessary placement in foster care? My daughter has started to revert to baby talk (she's 2) and is hitting other kids where she never did before. I am currently receiving SSDI / SSI for emotional issues related to abuse.

From the LawyerCentral forum archive. Originally posted 18 December 2008 on a legal forum that has closed. Names and contact details were removed. See the original (Internet Archive).

2 answers

Visitor answer 12 January 2009

You'd have to explain the situation a little more I think. What exactly are the grounds for emotional abuse? They put you in foster care? They put her in foster care? Is there any reason to believe that your daughter's behavior could be linked to anything other than the emotional abuse? I mean, playing devil's advocate, couldn't they argue that she is acting the way that she is simply because she is growing up, or because of a situation at home, or because of any number of issues that have nothing to due with something that they have done? It seems to me that proving that they are the cause of her actions would be pretty difficult, and furthermore, that her actions, as you briefly described them, are not particularly terrible or grounds for a lawsuit... just my thoughts... you could take it to a lawyer to see if, in their professional opinion, you have a potential lawsuit...

Visitor answer 31 May 2010

Abuse is any behavior that is designed to control and

subjugate another human being through the use of fear,

humiliation, intimidation, guilt, coercion,

manipulation etc. Emotional abuse is any kind of abuse

that is emotional rather than physical in nature. It

can include anything from verbal abuse and constant

criticism to more subtle tactics, such as repeated

disapproval or even the refusal to ever be pleased.

Emotional abuse is like brain washing in that it

systematically wears away at the victim's self-

confidence, sense of self-worth, trust in their own

perceptions, and self-concept. Whether it is done by

constant berating and belittling, by intimidation, or

under the guise of "guidance," "teaching", or "advice,"

the results are similar. Eventually, the recipient of

the abuse loses all sense of self and remnants of

personal value. Emotional abuse cuts to the very core

of a person, creating scars that may be far deeper and

more lasting that physical ones. In fact there is

research to this effect. With emotional abuse, the

insults, insinuations, criticism and accusations slowly

eat away at the victim's self-esteem until she is

incapable of judging the situation realistically. She

has become so beaten down emotionally that she blames

herself for the abuse. Her self-esteem is so low that

she clings to the abuser.

Boca Raton DUI

Add your answer

Answers are reviewed before they appear. They are general information from visitors, not legal advice, and do not create a lawyer-client relationship. Do not include private details.

Need a lawyer for this?

See attorneys near you who handle questions like this one.

Ask a lawyer

← All questions