Settlement Fund Payouts for YDC Abuse Now Top $95 Million

Settlement Fund Payouts for YDC Abuse Now Top $95 Million

Introduction

A settlement fund established by New Hampshire lawmakers continues to pay out millions of dollars to address a growing number of credible abuse claims against staff at the state-run juvenile detention facility formerly known as the Youth Development Center (YDC).

From April through the end of June, 134 new claims were filed, bringing the total to 552, according to a newly released report by the settlement fund's administrator, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice. While the rate of new claims has slightly decreased from the previous quarter, which saw 159 new claims, the overall number remains significant.

Since the last quarterly report, the settlement fund has authorized monetary awards for 52 additional claimants, raising the total settlements to $95.6 million for 186 claimants so far. There are still 349 claims pending, with the majority of claimants alleging both physical and sexual abuse.

Operations of the settlement fund are temporarily paused to allow administrators to adjust to recent changes designed to make the fund more appealing to the nearly 1,300 alleged victims who have filed civil lawsuits against the state. These changes, passed by the state Legislature last month, include raising the payment cap to $2.5 million and introducing new categories of compensable abuse. Additionally, the total pool of the settlement fund was increased to $160 million, up from the initial $100 million.

Attorneys representing most of the alleged YDC victims support these changes and plan to recommend the settlement fund to their clients. The administrator expects a significant increase in the number of cases filed once the revised claim materials are available.

Notably, roughly half of all claims made with the YDC settlement fund were initially brought as lawsuits in Superior Court. Despite years of litigation, only one civil case involving YDC abuse has reached trial. In May, jurors awarded a plaintiff a historic $38 million for abuse he suffered while in state custody at YDC in the 1990s. However, the actual amount he will receive is still uncertain, as the state has filed a motion to limit the damages to $475,000, arguing that the jury identified only one incident of abuse.

The deadline to file claims with the YDC settlement fund is June 30, 2025.