By FindAttorneys.org Editorial Team | Last reviewed: October 2026
The Short Version
Adam Horowitz is the managing partner of Horowitz Law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and has represented sexual abuse survivors in civil cases since he was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2000. His work includes a federal trial win that used an 1868 treaty clause in a new way, a $70.6 million jury verdict in Broward County, dozens of clergy abuse cases against Catholic dioceses, and litigation involving Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2009, a federal judge ordered the United States to pay nearly $600,000 to a young Oglala Sioux woman who had been sexually assaulted by an Army recruiter. The legal basis was a clause in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 that had never been used to bring that kind of claim. “Never before has this treaty been used to bring such a claim,” her lawyer told Indianz.com at the time.
That lawyer was Attorney Adam Horowitz. More than 25 years into his career, his practice is still built around one question: when someone is abused, which institution allowed it to happen, and how can it be held responsible?
Elk v. United States: A 140-Year-Old Promise, Enforced
The Fort Laramie Treaty includes what lawyers call the “bad men” clause. In it, the federal government promised to reimburse tribal members injured by wrongdoers acting under U.S. authority. For well over a century, the clause had rarely been tested.
Horowitz’s client, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Reservation, had been assaulted by a military recruiter who later left the service without facing charges. He brought her claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims under the treaty. In Elk v. United States, 87 Fed. Cl. 70 (2009), the court ruled in her favor and awarded damages, including for pain and suffering, which his profile describes as a first in the treaty’s 140-year history.
The case mattered beyond one plaintiff. Horowitz argued at the time that it set a precedent for members of other tribes whose treaties contain similar language, and “bad men” clause claims have drawn academic attention ever since.
A $70.6 Million Verdict After a Six-Day Trial
In 2018, Horowitz tried a case alongside Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson for a crew member who was raped by an intoxicated coworker aboard a 150-foot yacht docked in Fort Lauderdale for retrofitting. After a six-day trial before Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez, the jury returned a $70.6 million verdict, as the Daily Business Review reported.
A verdict this size is unusual, and the amount a jury awards is not always the amount that is ultimately collected. Still, it shows how seriously jurors can treat workplace sexual violence when the evidence is presented carefully.
Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Every case depends on its own facts, evidence, and law.
When the Defendant Refuses to Answer
A recurring problem in civil abuse cases is the defendant who invokes the Fifth Amendment and won’t testify, often because criminal charges are possible. Two decisions from his practice address that directly. In Baca v. M/Y Endless Summer (S.D. Fla. 2018) and Shimon v. R.B., 318 So. 3d 580 (Fla. 3d DCA 2021), the courts held that a trial court must fashion a remedy when a defendant pleads the Fifth in a civil sexual battery case, so the survivor isn’t left without a way to prove the claim. Both appear among the firm’s reported decisions.
The Institutions Behind His Caseload
Most of his cases are not just about one abuser. They ask whether a church, school, employer, or business ignored warning signs, failed to supervise, or kept someone in a position of trust after complaints.
- Clergy abuse. He has litigated dozens of priest abuse cases against Catholic dioceses across the country, including the Diocese of Providence, and has won on statute of limitations and First Amendment defenses. If you are weighing a claim like this, our guide to filing a priest sex abuse lawsuit explains the process.
- The massage industry. He represented clients who reported assaults by massage therapists at Massage Envy and other spas, work covered in a BuzzFeed News investigation that found more than 180 women had reported sexual assaults at the chain.
- Jeffrey Epstein. In litigation over Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of girls in Palm Beach County, he subpoenaed and recovered Epstein’s address book.
- Schools, camps, healthcare, and more. His cases also involve private schools and universities, daycares and summer camps, youth sports and cheer programs, doctors, cruise lines, rideshare companies, and nursing homes. Families dealing with abuse in long-term care can read about legal options after a sexual assault in a care facility.
Training, Admissions, and Recognition
Horowitz grew up in Lido Beach, New York, and earned his B.A. with honors from the University of Miami in 1996 and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 2000. In law school, he was an editor of the University of Miami Law Review and served on the Moot Court Board.
Beyond The Florida Bar, he is admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and the District of Colorado, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Eleventh, and Federal Circuits, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Tax Court. He has also appeared pro hac vice in courts in 10 other states and Washington, D.C.
The Daily Business Review named him South Florida’s Most Effective Lawyer in personal injury in 2009. He holds an AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been recognized by South Florida Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, and received the Legacy of Justice Award from victim advocates in 2024. He is a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association.
What Survivors Should Know About a Civil Case
- It is your decision. A civil lawsuit is separate from any criminal case. The survivor decides whether to file, the burden of proof is lower, and the case can reach institutions that would never face criminal charges. Our overview of how a civil sexual abuse lawsuit can help survivors covers the basics.
- Florida deadlines are longer than most. Under Fla. Stat. § 95.11, a claim for an intentional tort based on abuse can generally be filed within 7 years after the survivor turns 18, within 4 years after leaving the abuser’s dependency, or within 4 years of discovering the injury and its connection to the abuse, whichever is later. Claims for sexual battery against a child under 16 have no time limit, unless the claim was already time-barred by July 1, 2010.
- Federal law may also apply. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2255, survivors of certain federal child exploitation offenses can sue with no time limit and may recover liquidated damages of $150,000.
- Privacy can often be protected. Courts sometimes allow survivors to proceed under a pseudonym such as “Jane Doe.” Ask a lawyer about this before anything is filed.
- Support is available now. Talking to a lawyer doesn’t have to come first. RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-656-4673.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with FindAttorneys.org, Adam Horowitz, or Horowitz Law. Case details come from court decisions, news reporting, and the firm’s published materials. Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes, and every case depends on its own facts. Filing deadlines vary by state and can change, so speak with a licensed attorney in your state about your situation. FindAttorneys.org is an attorney directory, not a law firm.
About the Featured Attorney
Adam Horowitz is the managing partner of Horowitz Law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he represents sexual abuse survivors in civil cases against individuals and institutions nationwide. Admitted to The Florida Bar in 2000, he won Elk v. United States under the Fort Laramie Treaty and helped secure a $70.6 million jury verdict in Broward County. A University of Miami graduate, he received the Legacy of Justice Award from victim advocates in 2024.
