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Lawyers representing New Hampshire and more than 1,100 plaintiffs alleging abuse in government-run youth detention facilities support reforming the settlement fund, which could allow many lawsuits to be settled out of court. .
The proposed changes include increasing the cap on payments from $1.5 million to $2.5 million for people who experience severe sexual abuse while in custody at youth development centers (YDCs) and other state-contracted facilities for minors. ing. A bill currently before lawmakers would add payments for each day a minor is held in solitary confinement and increase the cap on payments for physical and emotional abuse from $150,000 to $250,000. .
Mark Knights, the Nixon Peabody attorney who represents most of the victims, told members of the Senate committee Tuesday that “we are satisfied with the outcome.” “With the changes reflected in the bill, we believe that the majority of our clients will choose to participate in the fund, as you have heard.”
The proposed increased settlement comes as the state prepares for what could be the first in a series of lawsuits in which former YDC residents seek financial payout for abuse they suffered at the hands of state employees. It was served in The first court date is set for April.
The state had previously earmarked $100 million to compensate victims of abuse at YDC if they agreed to forego litigation. More than 1,000 victims of violence and sexual misconduct at state facilities have come forward in recent years, detailing a culture of abuse by employees and contractors. State prosecutors have arrested at least 11 former YDC employees on charges including sexual assault and asked former residents of the facility to help document other alleged abuses.
“While the state should be ashamed of what happened at YDC, it should also be proud of these efforts to make things right,” New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella told lawmakers Tuesday. I continue to believe that.”
Formella could not provide lawmakers with an estimate of how much the new cap would cost the state, but said it would exceed the $100 million currently set aside. Since beginning the settlement process last year, the state has resolved 102 claims to date, with an average payout of $492,000.
In addition to increasing payment limits, the bill would streamline the application process and extend the application deadline by six months to June 2025.
The changes could result in hundreds of additional settlements, but lawyers for alleged victims say an unknown number of former detention facility residents may choose to file civil lawsuits. warned that it still exists.
Among them is David Meehan, who went public with horrific allegations of sexual and physical abuse at YDC more than three years ago. Meehan’s civil trial is scheduled to begin in April.
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