ADELPHOI SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS 

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Adelphoi in Pennsylvania

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children were allegedly sexually abused at Adelphoi residential treatment facilities and group homes in Pennsylvania.

Adelphoi operates a network of residential treatment centers, group homes, and community-based programs for youth placed through Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The organization runs facilities and programs across the state, including locations in Westmoreland County and surrounding regions, where minors may live under staff supervision while receiving behavioral treatment, counseling, or court-ordered services. Allegations in lawsuits have raised concerns about the oversight of employees and the safety of youth residing in these programs.

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

History of Sexual Abuse involving Adelphoi in Pennsylvania

Examples of alleged abuse at the facility, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In February 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed by seven former residents accusing Adelphoi of abuse and negligence at its facilities. From 1998 to 2022, staff allegedly subjected youth to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

One victim alleged that a staff member unzipped his pants and forced him to touch him. Another alleged he was choked by a staff member. A third alleged that a staff member forced himself on him.

• In November 2023, two lawsuits were filed against Adelphoi, accusing the organization of abuse and negligence that allegedly put children at risk. The lawsuits came just days after Adelphoi signed a contract to run Shuman Juvenile Detention Center.

One lawsuit alleged that former employee, Tabitha Dunn, allegedly groomed, kidnapped, and repeatedly sexually and physically abused a boy in her care. Adelphoi allegedly knew about Dunn’s inappropriate behavior but allegedly failed to take action to protect the child.

Another lawsuit alleged that understaffing at Adelphoi led to a violent incident where a resident was stabbed by three others. At the time of the attack, only one staff member was reportedly on duty.

• In March 2017, former employee Kelly Zawodniak  was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting two residents, one of whom was a minor. 

Zawodniak left sexually explicit letters on a 16-year-old youth’s pillow and tried to hug the victim in the laundry room.

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Pennsylvania Sexual Abuse  Attorneys

In Pennsylvania, the current statute of limitations for civil sex abuse claims is the age of adulthood plus 37 years, which means that survivors sexually abused as minors typically have until the age of 55 to file legal action, as long as they were born after November 26, 1989.

As in other states across the country, Pennsylvania’s current statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims has been criticized for barring numerous survivors from seeking justice and compensation for their damages and for failing to recognize accepted research about the considerable difficulties survivors face when processing their abuse and taking steps to come forward. Thanks to new efforts by advocates and lawmakers, however, there are now several pending measures before the Pennsylvania Legislature that seek to expand the rights of child sex abuse survivors.

These groundbreaking measures, which are expected to pass, will create new opportunities for survivors to step forward and obtain long-overdue justice. If passed, these measures would create a temporary two-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at any Pennsylvania juvenile detention and youth residential treatment centers.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.