The Sununu Youth Services Center (formerly the Youth Development Center) in Manchester is currently facing serious charges from nearly 1,000 former residents. Rampant abuses of power, emotional abuse, and sexual violence are recurring themes among those who’ve stepped forward to share their experiences. White a state-led investigation has been ongoing since 2019, four years have still not brought anyone to justice.
Now, many of those who report having suffered abuse at Sununu Youth Services Center are looking beyond the state. Some are petitioning the federal government to get involved in hopes of expanding the investigation. While nothing can undo the trauma that former residents report, a successful lawsuit could at least provide them with compensation to help with therapy and rebuilding their lives. If you or a loved one have been impacted by this case and want to learn more, consider reaching out to a Sununu Youth Services Center lawyer for guidance. Give us a call at 866-778-5500 or complete our online form for a free consultation.
According to the testimony of former residents and ongoing lawsuits, the center enabled a rampant pattern of sexual abuse. One particularly awful story comes from a young man who described waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. Staff members entered his room to restrain him and wrap a towel over his head, not aiming to help but only to silence him. This escalated to beatings and a movement to another housing unit, where he tells of being raped by three staff members and assaulted by a dozen more. In his own words,
“[The staff] wanted to demasculate us and humiliate us and do something that would break us.”
Other young men and women have come forward with similar stories. The running trend is that many staff abused their power over the vulnerable people in their care and that the center as a whole allowed or facilitated these crimes.
You are not alone.
While the criminal justice system may carry out its own investigation, these center on meting out punishment for wrongdoing. Imprisoning people for committing such horrible crimes is important and helps prevent future victimization, but that’s only half of justice.
The other half consists of the abused suing their perpetrators directly in civil court. By doing so, they can obtain damages for their suffering to help them recover. Furthermore, civil court has a different burden of proof, so it’s often possible to obtain justice in civil court even when criminal cases fail.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of damages a person might receive from a Sununu Youth Services Center lawsuit. The first category is economic damages, which covers all harm that has a quantifiable monetary value. That might include lost income due to difficulty holding down a job, or the costs of living and therapy during recovery.
However, the courts recognize harm that’s harder to quantify. Besides economic harm, victims can also seek what people call pain and suffering damages. The courts recognize the horror and pain that victims of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse endure, and award this sort of compensation to punish the perpetrator and help the victim.
That said, it’s necessary to begin a lawsuit sooner rather than later. Waiting too long can make it more difficult to mount a case, or even run into the statute of limitations, at which point you lose the right to sue. At the law firm of Console & Associates, P.C., our Sununu Youth Services Center lawyers are dedicated to helping victims seek justice. We offer free consultations and will never charge for our services unless we win your case. Either your abuser’s settlement includes your legal expenses, or you don’t pay. Fill out our online form or call 866-778-5500 to find out more.
