RIVERSIDE ACADEMY SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Riverside Academy in Kansas

Every day that passes is another day survivors of alleged abuse at Riverside Academy wait for justice. Don’t let the opportunity to hold those responsible accountable slip away. Levy Konigsberg is ready to fight for you, contact us now to take the first step.

History of Child Sexual Abuse at Riverside Academy in Kansas

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

• In September 2020, a news agency revealed a history of mistreatment at Riverside Academy, a for-profit residential treatment facility operated by Sequel Youth & Family Services. The report stated that state licensing records showed that between 2014 and 2018, the facility received 38 citations from Kansas officials for issues like excessive force, poor supervision, bullying and neglect. Despite these repeated violations, the facility closed voluntarily in 2018, rather than being shut down by authorities.

The agency cited another investigation conducted in 2018 that found the Riverside Academy staff’s disregard for a child in pain to be “frightening.”

• In 2020, a podcast exposed haunting graffiti covering the abandoned Riverside Academy building in Wichita, Kansas, where disturbing messages like “Burn this place,” “Youth were abused here…systematically,” and “This is a bad place” were scrawled on walls. Chris Hagman, who documented the graffiti, believed the messages were intentionally left to be seen and heard. Despite reporting his findings to the police, media, and even the FBI, Hagman claimed his warnings fell on deaf ears. 

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

Kansas Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Years of research have confirmed that survivors face many challenges when it comes to processing the effects of sexual abuse and coming forward to report it – especially if they were abused as minors.

As a result, great strides have been made in Kansas to educate lawmakers about these challenges and how they conflict directly with statutes of limitations that require survivors to file civil lawsuits within a short period of time. The result has been mostly positive, with the Kansas Legislature passing a long-anticipated law to bolster the rights of survivors.

The law (HB 2127), took effect in July 2023 and brought about the following changes:

• Extended civil statute of limitations. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse now have until the age of 31 (13 years after they turn 18) to bring sexual abuse claims against abusers and/or responsible entities. State law previously required child sex abuse survivors to bring claims within 3 years of turning 18.
• Temporary lookback period following criminal convictions. In addition to extending the civil SOL by 10 years, the law also eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for child sex abuse charges and created a three-year lookback period in cases where abusers are convicted in criminal court. This means that when an abuser is convicted of a criminal charge involving child sexual abuse, survivors will have three years during which they can pursue civil legal action – no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.

While these are significant changes that expand the rights of survivors, many argue they still fall short.

As the data tells us, sexual abuse survivors often take decades to process their abuse, connect their trauma to the harm they’ve suffered, and make the difficult decision to step forward and seek justice. According to several studies, the average age that child sexual abuse victims take these steps is 52.

This being the case, there is still widespread support for Kansas to eliminate the child sexual abuse SOL entirely and give survivors an unlimited amount of time to file. Additionally, advocates are still pushing for lawmakers to create a window during which survivors with previously time-barred claims could file lawsuits – a feature that was in initial versions of HB 2127 before it was dropped in the final bill.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Kansas juvenile detention and youth residential treatment 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.