What Health Care Providers Need to Know About the Illinois Gender Violence Act

Years before the rise of the "#MeToo" movement, the Illinois Gender Violence Act (IGVA) was enacted to give victims of criminal "gender violence" a civil remedy. The IGVA creates a civil cause of action for persons who have been subjected to gender-related violence, which is defined in part as, "a physical intrusion or physical invasion of a sexual nature under coercive conditions satisfying the elements of battery under the laws of Illinois." A cause of action under the IGVA exists regardless of whether the alleged act of sexual aggression resulted in criminal charges, prosecution, or conviction. Essentially, any claim involving sexual harassment and physical touching could arguably fall within the scope of the statute. More ›