A dozen plaintiffs are suing Snohomish County, Washington in federal court, alleging they were sexually abused while incarcerated in a pair of county-run youth detention facilities.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs say the suit exposes “systemic sexual abuse, rape and degradation of one of society’s most vulnerable populations — children and teenagers.” The two named institutions are the Denney Youth Center and the Denney Juvenile Justice Center and the claims date back to the 1980s.
Children as young as 10 years old were repeatedly threatened, groomed, raped, groped and otherwise harassed by guards and other jail staffers at the facilities, the lawsuit states.
“Our community should be shocked and appalled at what the county of Snohomish allowed to happen under its care and supervision,” Steve Berman, founder and managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, said in a press release. “Snohomish County had an obligation to protect those in its custody, including youth in detention, and we cannot imagine a more shameful failure of that duty.”
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in western Washington on Nov. 6 against Snohomish County and up to 20 unnamed perpetrators and other defendants.
“Snohomish County is aware the Complaint was filed. The County is currently reviewing the allegations and will respond in court at the appropriate time,” county prosecuting attorney Bridget Casey wrote in an email to The Imprint.
Representatives for Snohomish County did not respond to requests for comment.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the alleged abuse occurred not merely due to a few wayward employees, but as a result of Snohomish County policies that enabled abusers, and its failure to comply with the 2003 federal Prison Rape Elimination Act and other laws that protect incarcerated people from harm.
The detention facilities failed to properly supervise or train staff on sexual abuse prevention, or screen new hires, the lawsuit alleges. They also failed to provide adequate mechanisms for sexual abuse to be reported, it states. According to the court filing, when children did report abuse, Snohomish County failed to properly follow up on the claims.
Two of the plaintiffs, including one identified as “K.M.,” were allegedly abused by the same perpetrator in the 1990s, an employee named Cal who “used grooming methods” like bringing them comic books as gifts.
“K.M thought that ‘Cal’ was “the coolest guy ever,” before Cal sexually abused him,” the suit states.
Another plaintiff alleged that he was raped in 2001 by an employee named Bob, who threatened retaliation if the child reported the abuse. Another plaintiff said she was raped by two guards after being subjected to an aggressive strip search, during which she was punched in the face for refusing to comply.
This article has been updated to include comments from Snohomish County.
