Levy Konigsberg Files Lawsuits on Behalf of 25 Men Who Allege They Were Sexually Abused as Juveniles Across Four New Jersey Juvenile Detention Facilities

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Apr 26, 2024, 16:57 ET

Levy Konigsberg Attorneys Moshe Maimon and Clark Binkley have filed lawsuits on behalf of twenty-five men who allege they suffered sexual abuse when they were confined as juveniles at New Jersey's juvenile detention facilities, bringing the total number of claims to 100.

NEW YORK, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Levy Konigsberg has filed lawsuits this week against the State of New Jersey, alleging that the state failed to protect children from rampant sexual abuse at the state's juvenile detention facilities, including the New Jersey Training Schools at Jamesburg and Skillman. The lawsuits, brought on behalf of 25 men who were abused as children at these facilities, are the latest in a string of New Jersey juvenile detention abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg.

As detailed in the lawsuits, New Jersey's juvenile detention system has for generations been an embarrassment for New Jersey, with reports dating back to the 1980s detailing the horrific conditions and abuse at facilities like Jamesburg and Skillman. At the time, the head of the state's Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit noted that conditions at these facilities were likely to lead to increased rates of abuse. Unfortunately, the warning signs went ignored by the state, and in 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a report finding Jamesburg to have one of the highest rates of sexual abuse among juvenile detention facilities nationwide. As a result of the state's failure to act, generations of children suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards, counselors, and other staff members who were supposed to be looking out for them.

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 and decades separating their experiences, the twenty-five men whose claims were filed this week experienced disturbingly similar patterns of abuse across four different facilities, evidencing a systemic failure by the state 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 the state's custody have suffered unthinkable abuse at juvenile detention centers across the state, victims of a broken juvenile justice system. The state had a responsibility to these children and it failed 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 New Jersey's juvenile detention facilities. Earlier this year, The Associated Press covered Levy Konigsberg's lawsuit on behalf of 50 men who were abused at Jamesburg. Interested parties can read the article here.

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

For additional information about childhood sexual abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg, media members and journalists are encouraged to reach out to Attorney Moshe Maimon by using the law firm's contact form: https://www.levylaw.com/contact-us/

Media Contact: Moshe Maimon, [email protected]

SOURCE Levy Konigsberg LLP