NEW ORLEANS, La. (KLFY) — A child sexual abuse survivor in New Orleans, John Lousteau, became the first to be awarded damages after the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld a law allowing survivors to file a lawsuit no matter how long ago the alleged abuse occurred.

This comes after a previous 2021 law from the Louisiana Legislature, Act 322,

which gave survivors a three-year window until June 2024 to file civil lawsuits for damages of alleged childhood sexual abuse that occurred after 1993. However, the Louisiana Legislature amended Act 322 with Act 386 in 2022, which states all victims of childhood sexual abuse could seek justice regardless of when the said abuse occurred.

On June 25, a jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana returned a verdict in the amount of $2.375 million for Lamothe Law Firm client, 68-year-old John Lousteau. The case, Lousteau v. Congregation of Holy Cross Moreau Province, alleges a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross School in New Orleans sexually assaulted Lousteau during a summer camp in the late 1960’s.

The decision marks a significant victory for Lousteau, who was brought long-awaited closure to the matter after first coming forward in 2019. Lousteau’s attorney, Kristi Schubert, with the Lamothe Law Firm, said getting justice for Lousteau was nothing short but powerful.

“Someone like Mr. Lousteau after everything he’s been through and how hard he’s had to fight,” said Schubert. “It was just a wonderful feeling to see him get a good outcome in this case and a fair and just outcome,” said Schubert.

Schubert spoke about how Lousteau first came forward in 2019, but due to the way Louisiana’s laws were written, it was too late for Lousteau to file a lawsuit.

“His time limit had expired when he was twelve years old, which is the whole reason the legislature passed this new lookback window law because they recognized that expecting a 12-year-old to file a lawsuit based on the sexual abuse they endured is just not going to happen,” said Schubert.

Despite this, Schubert urges other people who have experienced sexual abuse to speak out against what they endured.

“To me it’s just such an incredible honor and I hope that other survivors who are out there know that there are people who, if they’re ready and able to, there are people who want to hear their story and want to help them find justice,” said Schubert.

Under Louisiana Act 386, all adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse will now have an extended window until June 2027 to file civil sex abuse lawsuits under the lookback law.

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