Over 900 brave survivors have come forward to demand justice after enduring childhood sex abuse in custody perpetrated by adult employees at the State-operated Illinois Youth Centers (IYCs) and Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC). Represented by Levy Konigsberg Attorneys Jerome Block, Jacob Jordan and co-counsel, more than 100 more survivors filed sexual abuse lawsuits against Cook County and the State of Illinois on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases filed to more than 900 dating back to May 2024. The lawsuits document a decades-long history of sexual abuse at the JTDC and IYCs throughout the State of Illinois.
Our legal team is leading the way in investigating sexual abuse claims from former juvenile detainees in Illinois, and we have been taking legal action using the Childhood Sexual Abuse Act as codified at 735 ILCS 5/13-202.2. The more than 900 survivors who have filed clams so far include those who suffered sexual abuse as far back as the 1990s and up through as recently as 2023. The Plaintiffs, who are now adults, were sexually abused as children ranging from age 9 to 17.
According to the lawsuits, many different staff at the detention centers were involved in sexual abuse, such as:
- Correctional/detention officers
- Counselors
- Wardens
- Parole officers
- Supervisors
- Teachers
- Medical staff
- And others
Cook County and the State of Illinois have done little to protect these children or to punish their abusers. It is this pattern of negligence that has prompted the filing of these lawsuits. The State and Cook County’s negligence in failing to stop the sexual abuse of children at Illinois juvenile detention facilities is detailed in the complaints that were filed this week.
Leading the Way for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
The Childhood Sexual Abuse Act provides legal pathways for victims of this type of sexual abuse to pursue damages from their abusers and from the institutions that enabled the abuse by increasing the time in which survivors of sexual abuse are permitted to come forward and file civil lawsuits.
Levy Konigsberg and its team of dedicated trial attorneys are at the forefront of childhood sexual abuse litigation, having filed hundreds of lawsuits nationwide on behalf of survivors.
In announcing this week’s filings, Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block stated:
“After more than 900 victims of childhood sexual abuse have come forward, the ongoing apathy from Cook County and Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks volumes and underscores a tragic lack of concern for Illinois youth in custody. More than one year after the filing of the first group of cases, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul recently filed a new motion to dismiss arguing that the survivors were required to come forward before turning age 19. The State’s outrageous and callous legal position ignores the deep trauma of childhood sexual abuse and the rights granted by the Illinois Childhood Sexual Abuse Act.”
Levy Konigsberg represents hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse at Illinois 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 child sexual abuse that occurred at Illinois youth facilities, then speak with our team today.
Please call 800-315-3806 now and request a free, initial consultation with our firm.