InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/tag/ydc/page/6/)
The lawyer representing the first victim to be awarded $1.5 million for abuse suffered as a child incarcerated at the Youth Development Center filed a motion Wednesday to strike the lien his former lawyers filed against his maximum recovery arguing they did nothing to earn their fee.
Attorney General John Formella sent out a press release Tuesday saying the state paid its first victim the maximum $1.5 million settlement from the $100 million fund set aside for victims of sexual and physical abuse they suffered as children under state custody at the Youth Development Center and other facilities.
As officials with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and the New Hampshire State Police are being called to give depositions in the Sununu Youth Services Center abuse case, the judge assigned to the civil lawsuits is questioning the role of the state’s top law enforcement agency.
Based on their analysis, the State has determined that the Hampstead Hospital and Residential Treatment Facility (HHRTF) would best accommodate the needs of a small but highly complex population of young people who require placement in a secure facility.
Only one claim has been settled under the Youth Development Center Settlement Fund in the first quarter of this year.
Just days ago, the individual responsible for the agency confirmed that children at SYSC are strip searched. They are strip searched every time they leave and return to the facility (going to court, medical appointment, or a family visit.
Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., has settled the first claim under New Hampshire’s YDC Settlement Fund on behalf of a client who was sexually and physically assaulted at YDC in the 1970s, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
Gov. Chris Sununu signed SB 1 into law Tuesday delaying the closure of the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester formerly known as YDC.
With the closing of the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester, formerly known as YDC, required in just five weeks, lawmakers are now scrambling to pass a new bill to create a new facility and extend the closure date.