A settlement fund created by New Hampshire lawmakers continues to pay out millions of dollars to settle a flood of credible abuse claims against staff at the state-run juvenile detention facility formerly known as the Youth Development Center (YDC).
One hundred and thirty-four new claims were filed from April through the end of June, bringing the total number of claims to 552, according to a newly released report by the administrator of the settlement fund, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick. The rate of new claims was lower than the previous quarter, when 159 new claims were filed.
The settlement fund also authorized monetary awards for an additional 52 claimants since Broderick’s last quarterly report, bringing the total dollar amount of settlements to $95.6 million for 186 claimants so far; 349 claims are still pending.
The majority of claimants allege both physical and sexual abuse.
The report comes as some of the settlement fund’s operations are temporarily on pause to allow administrators time to adjust to recent changes designed to make the settlement fund more appealing to the nearly 1,300 alleged victims who have brought civil lawsuits against the state.
Those changes, passed by the state Legislature last month, include an increased cap on payments to $2.5 million, and new categories of compensable abuse. The new legislation also raised the total pool to $160 million, up from $100 million when the fund was first created.
Attorneys representing the majority of alleged YDC victims say they support the changes and will recommend the settlement fund for most of their clients.
“Once the revised claim materials are available, I expect to see a
significant increase in the number of cases filed with us through June of next year,” wrote Broderick.
According to Broderick, roughly half of all claims made with the YDC settlement fund were originally brought as lawsuits in Superior Court.
Only one civil plaintiff claiming abuse at YDC has seen their case reach the trial stage, despite years of litigation. In May, jurors awarded David Meehan a historic $38 million for abuse he suffered while in state custody at YDC in the 1990s. The actual amount Meehan will receive is still in question after the state filed a motion arguing the damages it owes should be limited to $475,000 because the jury identified only one incident of abuse.
The deadline to file claims with the YDC settlement fund is June 30, 2025.
