The plaintiff’s “shame, embarrassment, fear and avoidance of facing the victimization is common among sexual assault survivors, and it often takes years for sexual assault survivors to process their victimization,” psychologist Julie Medlin said in the affidavit, according to court documents provided to the Tribune. “Such survivors often use avoidance as the primary coping mechanism after the assault and try to move on with their lives, without recognizing or address the emotional harm caused by the assault.”
