ECKERD YOUTH ALTERNATIVES SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting For Survivors Sexually Abused at Eckerd Youth Alternatives in FL

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children were allegedly harmed at Eckerd Youth Alternatives facilities and offices throughout Florida.

Eckerd Youth Alternatives, operated by Eckerd Connects, is a private, state-funded organization that provides foster care and child welfare services across several counties in the Tampa Bay area. The organization is responsible for the placement and supervision of vulnerable youth in unlicensed facilities and administrative settings, including its office in Largo and placements throughout Pinellas County.

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

History of Sexual Abuse at Eckerd Youth Alternatives in FL

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

• In December 2021, reports indicated that an Instagram account allegedly shared sexually explicit images and videos of children from Eckerd Connects in Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement received over one gigabyte of data related to the account, which featured children between the ages of 12 and 18. 

• In November 2021, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office started a criminal investigation into child abuse and neglect involving Eckerd Connects Community Alternatives in Florida. 

The sheriff reported that children were living in deplorable conditions at its administrative office in Largo. Around six children each night allegedly slept on cots and under desks without access to clean clothes, hot meals, toiletries, or clean showers.

In one instance at the office, a teenager allegedly fell from a ladder while climbing to the roof and suffered a severe injury when a piece of metal split their gut open. On another occasion, two children reportedly gained access to unsecured medication in a conference room, which allegedly resulted in one child overdosing.

The investigation also looked into reports that children were placed in unlicensed facilities. In these locations, one child allegedly found an unsecured gun. Another facility allegedly employed an individual who was facing charges for racketeering and the distribution of hydrocodone. 

• In August 2017, a lawsuit was filed in Pinellas County against Eckerd Community Alternatives and other agencies following the sexual abuse of two girls in a Clearwater home. The legal filing alleged that agencies omitted a teenage boy’s history of sexually acting out when he was fostered and later adopted by the same family.

In March 2016, the two girls, aged 7 and 8, reported that the teenager had been sexually molesting them for approximately four months. The lawsuit claimed that by withholding the boy’s records, they failed to warn the parents or provide the necessary information to establish safety plans.

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

Florida Sexual Abuse Attorneys

The amount of time that a victim of childhood sexual abuse in Florida has to file a lawsuit depends on the facts and circumstances of the particular case. We recommend that you reach out to us if you have questions about the statute of limitations in your case.  For those who were sexually abused in privately-operated Florida juvenile residential facilities when they were under age 16, and were born after July 1, 1988, there should be no statute of limitations that applies. So, in most cases, this means that a person who experienced sexual assault when under age 16 is permitted to file a civil lawsuit at any time so long as they were born after July 1, 1988 (i.e. the person did not turn age 22 as of July 1, 2010).

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Florida youth residential treatment facilities.

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.