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Trafficking, Title IX, and Platform Liability: Building a Civil Rights Practice with Caitlin Engstrand
Law Labs
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Caitlin Engstrand spent years as a public defender before moving into private practice with National Injury Attorneys, where she now handles civil rights, sexual assault, and trafficking victim cases across Arizona.
In this Law Labs episode she walks through the practical mechanics of building a practice in an area with no established playbook, and what the ABS structure changed about how she selects and funds cases.
Topics covered:
- The Backpage victim compensation fund and the documentation burden on decade-old trafficking claims
- Liability theory for platforms where adults gain access to minors, including Roblox and Meta
- Title IX exposure and the special relationship doctrine in Arizona school cases
- FERPA and HR objections as barriers to pre-suit evidence, and why discovery becomes the only path
- SROs acting under color of law, and the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment questions that follow
- The six month notice of claim window against public entities, and running a civil track parallel to a criminal defense
- Spousal tort viability: statute of limitations, collectability, and intentional tort exclusions in homeowners policies
- How class action revenue inside an ABS funded 700 pro bono hours last year
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Caitlin Engstrand's Journey
03:24 Transitioning from Public Defense to Private Practice
06:12 Understanding Backpage and Victim Compensation
09:02 The Impact of Trafficking on Victims
11:52 Liability of Online Platforms in Exploitation Cases
14:28 Navigating Legal Challenges in Child Protection
17:22 The Role of ABS in Modern Legal Practice
20:12 Civil Rights Cases Against Schools and Police
21:26 Navigating Civil and Criminal Cases
23:10 School Liability and Title IX Violations
28:37 The Role of School Resource Officers
36:17 Addressing Spousal Abuse and Legal Accountability
39:38 Suing Employers for Workplace Violations
Useful for practitioners evaluating alternative business structures, criminal defense and family law attorneys who encounter parallel civil claims, and anyone assessing referral relationships in this space.
