Levy Konigsberg Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Eight Men and Women Who Were Sexually Abused as Juveniles at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility, the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility, and Albert Elias Residential Community Home at the Johnstone Campus, as well as at Costello Prep Residential Community Home

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Jun 05, 2024, 13:16 ET

MT. HOLLY, N.J., June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Levy Konigsberg attorneys Moshe Maimon and Corey Briskin filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight men and women who suffered sexual abuse during their confinement as juveniles at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility ("JMSF"), the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility ("Bordentown"), and Albert Elias Residential Community Home ("Albert Elias") at the Johnstone Campus in Bordentown, NJ, as well as at Costello Prep Residential Community Home ("Costello") in Tabernacle, NJ.

Levy Konigsberg sued the State of New Jersey, alleging that it failed to protect children from rampant sexual abuse at JMSF, Bordentown, Albert Elias, and Costello. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of eight men and women who were abused as children at these facilities, is the latest in a string of New Jersey juvenile detention abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg.

As detailed in the complaint, there is a well-documented history of child abuse at JMSF, Bordentown, Albert Elias, and Costello, with reports of abusive practices dating back decades. Indeed, the State was sued in 2000 for its failure to protect a 14-year-old girl from sexual assault by a guard at JMSF while she was housed there between 1996 and 1997. In 2002, a JMSF officer was convicted of molesting two female inmates in early 2001, one of whom was only 15 years old at the time. And in 2010, the United States Department of Justice issued a report finding that New Jersey has some of the highest rates of sexual abuse among juvenile detention facilities nationwide and that much of this abuse goes unreported. As a result of the State's failures, children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards and other staff members at JMSF, Bordentown, Albert Elias, and Costello, who were responsible for their care.

The suits filed by Levy Konigsberg were brought under New Jersey's Child Sexual Abuse Act ("CSAA"), a 2019 law that expanded the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits in cases of child sexual abuse. Most of the survivors seeking justice in these lawsuits were abused many years ago, some as far back as the 1980s, suffering in silence until their claims were finally made possible by the CSAA. Despite the years separating their experiences, the eight men and women whose claims were filed this week experienced disturbingly similar patterns of abuse, evidencing New Jersey's systemic failure to protect the children in its care.

In announcing this week's filings, Levy Konigsberg Partner Moshe Maimon stated:

"For too long, vulnerable children in New Jersey's custody have suffered unthinkable abuse at its juvenile detention center—victims of a broken juvenile justice system. The State had a responsibility to these children, and it failed to uphold that responsibility."

Levy Konigsberg has filed hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse nationwide and is at the forefront of CSAA litigation in New Jersey, having filed some of the first lawsuits about the widespread sexual abuse in the State's juvenile detention facilities. Earlier this year, the Associated Press covered Levy Konigsberg's lawsuit on behalf of 50 men who were abused at the New Jersey Training School, known as Jamesburg. Interested parties can read the article here. Since then, Levy Konigsberg filed separate lawsuits on behalf of 25 men who were sexually abused as juveniles in four New Jersey juvenile detention facilities, including Jamesburg and Skillman, as well as 14 male and female survivors of sexual abuse in the juvenile detention facilities operated by Union and Middlesex counties.

Levy Konigsberg represents over 200 survivors of sexual abuse at juvenile detention facilities across New Jersey and plans to continue fighting tirelessly on their behalf.

For additional information about child sexual abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg, please visit the firm's website or reach out to Partner Moshe Maimon using the firm's contact form.

Contact:
Erica Helcher
[email protected]

SOURCE Levy Konigsberg