Over the past year and a half, more than a thousand brave men and women have come forward to demand justice after enduring childhood sexual abuse in Maryland juvenile detention centers. Today, another 221 survivors are adding their voices to this rallying cry. Represented by Levy Konigsberg Attorneys Jerome Block and Clark Binkley, these plaintiffs have filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against the State of Maryland for its failure to protect them from repeated sexual abuse while confined as juveniles at fifteen juvenile detention facilities across the state.
These new filings come less than a week after the Maryland General Assembly passed House Bill 1378 which, if approved by Governor Wes Moore, would set lower damages caps in cases filed under the Maryland Child Victims Act. Levy Konigsberg is fighting tirelessly to secure justice for our courageous clients – even as the State legislature shamefully tries to rewrite the Child Victims Act to deprive survivors of their rights.
Generations of Maryland’s most vulnerable children have been abused, neglected, and traumatized at the state’s juvenile detention facilities. The 221 individuals who filed claims today include those who suffered sexual as far back as the 1960s and as recently as the 2020s. The culture of abuse that allowed this to happen endured over the decades despite widespread reports and investigations into poor conditions, violently abusive staff, lack of oversight, and cruel state policies endorsing strip searches and solitary confinement. Scores of children have long suffered in silence and the numbers of survivors coming forward will continue to grow.
According to the lawsuit, many different staff at juvenile detention facilities were involved in sexual abuse, such as:
- Correctional/detention officers
- Counselors
- Teachers
- Supervisors
- Managers
- And others
Despite the well-documented abuse of children in the juvenile detention system, little was done by the State of Maryland to protect these children or to punish their abusers. It is this pattern of negligence on the part of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services that has prompted the recent filing of this and similar sexual abuse lawsuits in Maryland. The state government’s shocking negligence in its failure to stop the sexual abuse of children in its many juvenile detention facilities is highlighted in this latest lawsuit.
Leading the Way for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
With the Maryland Child Victims Act (“CVA”) of 2023, which permanently eliminated the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits in cases of child sexual abuse, former detainees at Maryland’s juvenile detention facilities can seek justice and compensation, even for abuse that occurred many years ago. But in recent months, the State legislature has begun trying to claw back these rights from survivors, passing legislation that would cut their recovery by more than half and limit their time for filing.
Levy Konigsberg and its team of dedicated trial attorneys are at the forefront of CVA litigation and advocacy, fighting for justice both in and out of the courtroom. We will not rest until the State is held accountable.
In announcing today’s lawsuit filed on behalf of 221 men and women, Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block stated:
“The State of Maryland failed thousands of children by enabling rampant, institutional sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers for decades. Now the State is failing these survivors again through the passage of HB 1378 which, if approved by Governor Moore, would unfairly limit recoveries for child sexual abuse survivors and unconstitutionally revoke substantial rights provided by the Maryland Child Victims Act.”
Since 2023, Levy Konigsberg has filed lawsuits on behalf of nearly 500 men and women who had been sexually abused as children at Maryland’s various detention facilities, including Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, Thomas J.S. Waxter Children’s Center, and Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School. Some of these lawsuits were covered by national media outlets, including the Associated Press and the Baltimore Sun, in articles highlighting the stories of the brave survivors whose voices are finally being heard. [1] [2] [3] [4].
Levy Konigsberg represents over 1,000 such survivors of sexual abuse at Maryland’s juvenile detention facilities and plans to continue fighting tirelessly on their behalf.
Levy Konigsberg is a nationwide trial law firm with a proven track record of representing survivors of sexual abuse. We have the strength, size, and resources needed to file lawsuits against government agencies, religious groups, medical institutions, and more. If you want to know if you can file a claim for sexual abuse that occurred at juvenile detention centers in Maryland, then speak with our team today.
We are leading the way for lawsuits against many other Maryland juvenile detention facilities, such as:
- Backbone Mountain Youth Center
- Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center
- Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School & Structured Shelter Care Program
- Cheltenham Youth Detention Center
- Thomas J.S. Waxter Children’s Center
Please call (800) 315-3806 now and request a free, initial consultation with our firm.