ECHO GLEN CHILDREN’S CENTER SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Abused at Echo Glen

The Echo Glen Children’s Center is a maximum security juvenile detention facility in Snoqualmie, Washington and the only one that accepts girls in the state. The purpose of juvenile detention centers is to provide safe surroundings for the state’s most at-risk adolescents to obtain rehabilitation services. Instead, many of these kids suffer sexual assault from fellow inmates and adults who have authority over them. These occurrences draw attention to structural problems with supervision and juvenile inmate protection at the Echo Glen detention center.

Levy Konigsberg is investigating allegations of sexual assault at the Echo Glen juvenile detention center. If you or a loved one has been sexually abused at this facility, our experienced sexual abuse lawyers can assist you in seeking justice and compensation for the harm you suffered.

History of Sexual Abuse at the Echo Glen Children’s Center

The Echo Glen Children’s Center has a concerning history of abuse, as shown by civil lawsuits, public settlements, and criminal investigations. These incidents highlight the failures of public authorities in properly investigating complaints and protecting the young inmates. Reports have consistently pointed out issues with low staffing and insufficient security. This lack of proper oversight may allow sexual predators to have unsupervised access to vulnerable children at the facility. Examples of abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• A news report stated that days before seven teens with violent backgrounds escaped Echo Glen Children’s Center in 2023, administrators were warned of a possible breakout. One warning came from a parent who reported an escape plan. Following the incident, employees criticized the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF)  for not preventing it and noted critically low staffing—only one guard and a trainee patrolled while others supervised teens alone. 

Another report showed that this and a previous escape involving five teens, highlighted years of ignored issues such as low wages, stagnant hiring, underfunding, program cuts, and mandatory overtime reported by staff and union representatives.

• In 2014, a 13-year-old girl was sexually molested by a male inmate at Echo Glen Children’s Center. Boys and girls attend studies and participate in recreational and religious activities together in the school. Blake Garcia, 17, and a repeat sex offender, groped the girl sexually and against her consent while they were in class.

He was detained and charged in both juvenile and adult courts and pleaded guilty to offenses that resulted in a sentence of over five years in state custody. He remained a registered sex offender.

• In August 2009, a former female inmate at the Echo Glen Children’s Center filed a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), claiming that Officer Robert H. Fox violently raped her while she was incarcerated at the institution in May 2006. According to the lawsuit, Fox, 38, a guard at the facility, had been grooming the girl for some time before entering her room, removing her clothes, and assaulting her. 

The victim had already begun to get her life together at Echo Glen, as evidenced by her GED score and positive interaction with staff, when she was assaulted. The complaint was finally settled in July 2011, when the DSHS agreed to pay $375,000 after Fox pled guilty to first-degree custodial sexual misconduct.

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

Washington Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Under current Washington state law, survivors of sexual abuse have three years from the date of their abuse, or three years from the date they discover the connection between their injuries (which can include addiction, self-harm, and other mental health issues) and the abuse (or a defendant’s actions that led to the abuse), to file civil lawsuits.

In March 2024, the governor signed into law a bill (House Bill 1618) removing the statute of limitations for civil claims related to child sexual abuse. As a result, for any sexual abuse occurring on or after June 6, 2024, there is no deadline to file.

However, the new law is not retroactive, meaning that it does not apply to sexual abuse that occurred before June 6, 2024. Survivors of sexual abuse that occurred before this time still have three years from the date of their abuse, or three years from the date they discover the connection between their injuries and the abuse or actions that led to the abuse, to file civil lawsuits. 

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.