CHARLES H. HICKEY SCHOOL SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Abused at CHS in Baltimore, Maryland

The Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Baltimore County, Maryland, faces lawsuits alleging staff sexually abused boys held at the facility across several decades. 

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors of sexual abuse at the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School, where guards, counselors, and other staff allegedly abused youth for decades.

Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School in Baltimore County is operated by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. The facility opened in 1850 as the House of Refuge and was renamed the Maryland Training School for Boys before adopting its current name in 1985. It was privately operated under state contract from 1991 until 2004, when the Department of Juvenile Services resumed direct control. 

The school has faced decades of scrutiny over rampant staff-on-youth sexual abuse — including a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found a culture of negligence that allowed staff to abuse youth, criminal charges against former staff, and lawsuits filed by hundreds of survivors under Maryland’s Child Victims Act.

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

Leading the Fight For Charles H. Hickey School Sex Abuse Survivors

Levy Konigsberg is an award-winning trial practice known nationally for litigating civil sexual abuse claims against powerful institutions, municipalities, and public and private prison systems.

Now, we’re leading the fight for survivors who were sexually abused at juvenile detention facilities across Maryland, including many who now have the renewed right to pursue justice and compensation under the state’s recently passed Child Victims Act.

This includes a December 2023 lawsuit filed by our firm on behalf of 37 men who were sexually abused while housed as youth at the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School. The lawsuit, which was brought against the State of Maryland for its failure to protect our clients from repeated sexual abuse, includes instances of abuse dating as far back as 2005 and abuse committed by many different CHS staff, including guards, counselors, supervisors, chaplains, and more.

Other examples of our ongoing work fighting for Maryland youth detention center sex abuse survivors includes:

• In February 2024, our firm filed suit on behalf of 63 men and women who were sexually abused at 15 different Maryland juvenile detention facilities. The suits include claims over sexual abuse that date back as far as the 1960s and as recently as the 2010s and cites numerous failures by the State of Maryland in investigating and stopping the abuse.
• In November and December 2023, our firm filed lawsuits on behalf of more than 80 survivors who had been sexually abused as children at Thomas J.S. Waxter Children’s Center, Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, and the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School. These suits were covered by the Baltimore Sun and the Associated Press in articles highlighting the bravery of survivors who are finally being heard.

Our firm currently represents over 400 survivors sexually abused in Maryland juvenile detention centers and continues to hear from numerous others who are taking courageous steps to seek justice and assert their rights under new Maryland laws.

About the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School & It’s History of Sexual Abuse

The Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School (CHS) is Maryland’s oldest – and arguably most controversial – youth detention facility. Opened in 1850 as the House of Refuge, it was later renamed the Maryland School for Boys when it was moved to its present location near Loch Raven in 1910. In 1918, the facility was again renamed to the Maryland Training School for Boys before adopting its current name in 1985, in honor of a former Baltimore County Sheriff.

From 1991 to April 2004, CHS was directly operated by private companies contracted by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. In 2004, the MD DJS resumed direct control of CHS, which at that time consisted of a secure juvenile detention facility for youth awaiting court dates or placement, which remains in operation today, and a secure treatment program, which was closed in 2005.

Over the course of its long and checkered past, the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School has been sharply criticized for rampant staff-on-inmate sexual abuse and a litany of supervisory, oversight, and staffing problems known to directly contribute to sexual assaults. CHS has also been targeted over several decades by advocates intent on having state government close the facility due to its troubling conditions and pervasive abuse.

CHS’s problematic history has been widely documented by legal filings, sweeping investigations, and criminal cases brought against guards and other abusive staff members. Some examples include:

• In August 2026, Ronald Neverdon, a former employee of Charles H. Hickey Jr. School, pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse involving 11 boys between 1968 and 1991.

In 2024, sixty-nine men allegedly abused by Neverdon filed a lawsuit against the State of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services for negligence.

• In July 2005, the State of Maryland announced that it would be closing CHS due to concerns over conditions and what the State’s own governor called “a violation of constitutional rights” and “a living model in what a system should not become.” However, only the secure treatment center portion of the facility ended up closing, and CHS has continued operating as a detention center.
• In March 2005, State Police stated that a former Charles H. Hickey School resident was sexually assaulted by another youth inmate shortly after the Maryland DJS took control of the facilities with the intent to restore a “safe and secure” environment. State Police stated that the assault took place in CHS’ dormitory-like Mandela unit and that the 17-year-old inmate was sexually assaulted with a pillow placed over his face, and that investigations into supervisory issues were ongoing.
• In April 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an alarming report on the conditions at CHS and another notorious Maryland juvenile detention center (Cheltenham). The report, which was based on a two-year investigation, found (among many other forms of abuse and insufficient care) multiple instances of sexual relationships between facility staff and children at the facilities and noting that “the facilities have failed to institute adequate measures to prevent incidents such as these from recurring.”
• In Mary 2003, a special report from Maryland’s Independent Juvenile Justice Monitor found over 20 suspected cases of child abuse and neglect at Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in the current year. The cases included multiple instances of staff engaging in sexual activity with juveniles and bringing alcohol, explicit materials, and other contraband into the facility, often in exchange for sexual favors. It also noted a case involving the discovery of a missing youth who was located following a car accident in Anne Arundel County in a vehicle registered to a female staff member, who was subsequently terminated and accused of having sexual involvement with the teenager.
• In November 2001, an investigative report published by The Baltimore Sun found at least a dozen reports of sexual assaults by guards against youth inmates housed at the Charles H. Hickey School and other Maryland juvenile detention facilities, including Cheltenham and the Victor Cullen Center.

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

Maryland Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Maryland has been a frontrunner in passing legislation that greatly expands the rights of sexual abuse survivors – and especially survivors of child sexual abuse.

Thanks to the Child Victims Act, which was signed into law in April 2023 by Governor Wes Moore, survivors who were sexually abused as minors in Maryland now have unprecedented opportunities to pursue justice against their abusers and any institutions that failed to protect them.

Here are some key details about Child Victims Act of 2023:

• The CVA eliminates the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits based on child sexual abuse, which means that there is no deadline by which survivors must initiate legal action.
• The CVA creates an unlimited lookback period that allows child sexual abuse survivors to file lawsuits over abuse that occurred at any time in the past, even if such claims were barred by the previous statute of limitations.

The Child Victims Act went into effect on October 1, 2023, and prison and juvenile detention systems with long histories of child sexual abuse are seeing a growing number claims brought by survivors abused years and decades ago.

While Maryland has significantly revised state laws regarding the statute of limitations for civil suits brought by child sexual abuse laws, it has not done so for claims brought by adult survivors.

Under Maryland state law, if the victim was an adult at the time of the abuse, the statute of limitations for filing a civil lawsuit is 3 years from the date of the abuse – no matter if the claim if brought against the alleged abuse or an institution.

Given the 3-year statute of limitations for adult sexual abuse lawsuits, it is advised that survivors with potential claims seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Maryland juvenile detention 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.