YDC Lawsuit & Settlement Fund Information
This article is designed to explain the process and determine if you have a claim in the New Hampshire Youth Development Center lawsuit. At least $100 million is available through the YDC Settlement Fund for people harmed. Some of that money could be yours.
What Is the Youth Development Center (YDC) Settlement Fund?
In New Hampshire, children who were neglected, abused, or incarcerated were placed either in private placements or a state-run facility called the Youth Development Center (YDC) and later the Sununu Youth Services Center (SYSC). For decades, children at this state-run facility were subject to horrific living conditions and sadistic abuse.
After these conditions came to light, the state of New Hampshire agreed to settle YDC claims with those affected. In the first-in-the-nation settlement process, they have created a shortened process to help victims obtain cash recoveries for the harms they suffered. The initial funding of this process includes an allocation of $100 million. If needed, more funds will be allocated.
Who Qualifies?
You may be eligible if you were: 1) a resident of YDC or SYSC; 2) sexually or physically abused there; and 3) staff or people directed by staff engaged in the abuse.
Importantly, unlike a lawsuit, there is no statute of limitations on claims in the YDC Settlement Fund and Claims Process. That means you qualify even if you were abused decades ago, and there is no expiration date on your right to recover compensation for injury.
Why Should I Do the YDC Settlement Fund Instead of Going to Trial?
Trial is slow, complex, and costly. Even if a person does get a recovery, it is almost always diminished by expenses and costs incurred while going through the trial process. The YDC Settlement Fund:
Greatly reduces those costs by simplifying the process.
Is not subject to many of the powerful defenses that the State can raise in trial. Sovereign immunity and statutes of limitations, two common technicalities the State uses to avoid accountability, do not apply to the Settlement Fund.
Is streamlined and staffed with trauma-informed people. The grueling, hurry-up-and-wait that is the hallmark of trial is significantly reduced. With a simple process and easy-to-understand milestones, the Settlement Fund should be less bruising and more transparent than the trial alternative.
Our YDC lawyers were central participants in drafting the Settlement Fund legislation and testified on the matter in front of the legislature. Let us put that knowledge to work for you.
Why Choose Us as Your YDC Lawyers?
Arriving at the final form of the YDC Settlement Process has taken nearly two years. The process, while less complex than a lawsuit, is still daunting. If you want to maximize your recovery in this process, our YDC attorneys have the tools and experience to give you the best chance.
First, unlike most firms, we have experience prosecuting staff that perpetrated these abuses. Our lawyers were frontline prosecutors making decisions on how to tackle these abuse cases in criminal court when they first came to light. We know these facts and understand what happened in a way that few other firms do.
Second, unlike virtually any other firm representing people in the YDC Settlement Process, we have experience dealing with juvenile cases that resulted in confinement at YDC. We did the work and fought against YDC placements in court for years. We have been to both facilities to visit clients and seen firsthand the terrible conditions and grotesque abuses that happened there. Unlike others, we have seen what that suffering looked like. This experience allows us to relate better to you and your experiences and motivates us to get you a recovery.
Third, we were instrumental in the legislative process that resulted in the YDC Settlement Process. We testified in front of the legislature. We worked on building victim-centered processes in the statute. We argued for victim-centered procedures in the process itself. Finally, we were a critical voice in pointing out problems with the state’s proposals resulting in the legislature mandating further negotiations with YDC victims’ counsel.
Fourth, we were the only attorneys at the table, negotiating with the state on the payout amounts. Many times, our suggestions were incorporated into the final payment tables that are used in this process. We know the details of these payment tables and how best to use the facts of your case to get the highest amount.
Fifth, this is what we do. We have had multiple cases involving children injury in state placements or government facilities. We focus on these cases. We understand the law that applies and the facts that drive higher recoveries. Your YDC case won’t be the first case like this we handle, and we won’t be forced to switch gears from car accidents or slip and fall cases.
Sixth, we are a small firm that takes the time to get to know you and your life. You won’t be a number. You won’t be a case. You will be a person who we know well and whose case we understand inside and out. If you call us, we won’t have to look up your file to remember your name or the facts of your case, and we will call you back.