GREAT CIRCLE (KVC MISOURI) SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Great Circle (now KVC Missouri) in Missouri

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children at Great Circle (KVC Missouri) were sexually abused while in residential care.

Great Circle, now known as KVC Missouri, is a behavioral health organization operating more than 20 locations across Missouri, primarily serving children in foster care and those with mental health and developmental challenges. The organization has been linked to multiple alleged incidents of sexual and physical abuse by staff, including criminal charges against several employees, an FBI raid of its Webster Groves campus, and lawsuits alleging the facility knowingly failed to prevent abuse. Its former CEO was also charged with felonies related to child welfare violations, and the Webster Groves residential treatment center closed in 2021 following mounting allegations.

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

History of Sexual Abuse at Great Circle (now KVC Missouri) in Missouri

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

• In May 2026, another lawsuit was filed alleging sexual abuse of a minor at the former Great Circle residential treatment center in Webster Groves, Missouri. The lawsuit alleged the facility allowed a culture of sexual abuse.

• In February 2025, a woman filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually abused by male staff members while living at the Great Circle facility located in Webster Groves as a youth. The lawsuit alleges the abusers’ acts included assault, battery, child molestation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and that Great Circle knowingly was negligent in preventing the abuse and failing to stop it.

• In December 2022, Tamika Marie Rodriguez, a Great Circle employee, was charged with having sexual contact with a Great Circle student in Phelps County. According to court records, Rodriguez forced a hug on the victim, inserted her hand into the victim’s pants and grabbed the victim’s genital area in a cottage doorway on a Great Circle campus in St. James. The victim reported the assault to a detective in mid-October, leading to Rodriguez’s surrender. Rodriguez was charged with one count of sexual contact with a student.

• In March 2021, former Great Circle employees Andrew Wright, Dwayne Jennings, Amara Jorden, and Wayne Roberts were charged for allegedly physically abusing youth residents with autism at the Webster Groves facility.  Police reportedly stated that two of the employees were seen abusing the children on video.

• In February 2021, Great Circle closed its Webster Groves facility after an FBI raid and the arrest of three employees for suspected child abuse. The organization did not provide a specific reason for the shutdown. 

• In 2019, Great Circle CEO Vincent D. Hillyer was charged with more than a dozen felonies related to endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a health care recipient. Several children reportedly went without medical care after severe injuries because Hillyer repeatedly instructed staff members not to call 911, according to court documents.  Hillyer was later acquitted of the felony charges, but found guilty of misdemeanor assault.

• In May 2017, former Great Circle staff member Joshua Adam Reid was charged with allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old female resident of the Great Circle – Tom Butterfield campus.

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

Missouri Sexual Abuse Attorneys

In Missouri, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have a limited amount of time to pursue civil lawsuits and damages. This statute of limitations varies depending on whether lawsuits are brought against abusers or institutions.

The statute of limitations for claims brought against abusers is:

• Within 10 years from the date a survivor turns 21; or
• Within three years from the date a survivor discovers injuries caused by their childhood sexual abuse (i.e. depression, addiction, incarceration, etc.).

Survivors have even less time to file claims against institutions that failed to protect them from abuse. Filing claims against responsible entities is nearly always preferable because institutional defendants have the financial means and insurance to fairly compensate victims.

In claims brought against entities, survivors must bring their suits:

• Before the age of 26; or
• Within three years from the date they discover the connection between their abuse and resulting damages.

However, as in other states, Missouri has seen growing momentum to change the statute of limitations in civil sexual abuse cases. That’s because research resoundingly agrees that survivors of sexual abuse often take decades to process their abuse and its impact on their lives. According to Child USA, a nonprofit think tank, the average age that victims report childhood sexual abuse is 52.

Recognizing the challenges survivors face in processing abuse, and how short statutes of limitations function as a barrier to justice more often than not, Missouri lawmakers have proposed a measure to give survivors greater opportunities to seek justice.

If passed, the pending law would:

• Extend the civil statute of limitations for child victims to age 55.
• Create a temporary two-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past.

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