NEWARK,
N.J., June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Levy Konigsberg attorneys Moshe
Maimon and Corey Briskin
filed a lawsuit on behalf of six men and women who suffered sexual
abuse during their confinement as juveniles at Essex County
Juvenile Detention Center ("ECJDC").
Levy Konigsberg sued Essex
County, alleging that it failed to protect children from
rampant sexual abuse at ECJDC. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of
six men and women who were abused as children at ECJDC, 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 abuse at ECJDC, with reports of abusive practices dating back to
the early 2000s. At the time, the New Jersey Juvenile Justice
Commission criticized ECJDC for employing forbidden restraints,
including straightjackets and long-term isolation, to discipline
juveniles detained there. In 2012, 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 County's failures,
children suffered abuse at the hands of guards and other staff
members at UCJDC 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 six men and women whose
claims were filed this week experienced disturbingly similar
patterns of abuse, evidencing Essex
County's systemic failure to protect the children in its
care.
In announcing this week's filing, Levy Konigsberg Partner Moshe
Maimon stated:
"For too long, vulnerable children in Essex County's custody have suffered
unthinkable abuse at its juvenile detention center—victims of a
broken juvenile justice system. The County 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 has
filed separate lawsuits on behalf of scores of men and women who
were sexually abused as juveniles in juvenile detention facilities
across New Jersey.
Levy Konigsberg represents hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse
at New Jersey juvenile detention
facilities 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
erica@thezenithcollective.com
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SOURCE Levy Konigsberg