Lawsuits allege child sexual abuse of nearly 100 victims at local juvenile detention centers

PITTSBURGH — Three lawsuits filed Monday in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas allege three western Pennsylvania non-profit juvenile detention facilities failed to protect children from “horrific and serial” sexual abuse.

The lawsuits represent 92 men and women who say they suffered sexual abuse while confined as children at Summit Academy, George Junior Republic and Abraxas Youth & Family Services. the facilities are in Butler, Grove City, Erie and Marienville. They often house children from Allegheny County and surrounding counties.

The claims of sexual abuse cited in the lawsuits range from the year 2000 to 2023.

The lawsuits allege teachers, staff, assistant and head coaches and even a facility doctor abused juveniles ranging in age from 10 to 17. Several juveniles reported being assaulted multiple times during their stay, multiple times a week or even “on a daily basis.”

The lawsuits were filed by Attorney Jason Luckasevic with Goldberg, Persky & White. Luckasevic initiated the CTE lawsuits that resulted in a $1 billion settlement with the NFL back in 2015. The firm also worked with New York-based Levy Konigsberg attorney Jerome Block.

“I think profits were put over the safety and well-being of the victims in these facilities,” Luckasevic told Channel 11. “It brings back the sad memories of the clergy abuse scandal.”

He believes there are many more victims in the child sexual abuse cases, and he urges them to speak up and reach out to his office.

“There’s a growing mass of people just like you. It’s now the time to step forward and join them for your justice,” he said.

Each lawsuit is dozens of pages and lays out specific allegations like staff members entering showers while juveniles were bathing, pinning them to the ground, assaulting them in their sleep or assaulting them in various rooms on campus. The allegations range from inappropriate strip searches to molestation and rape.

The lawsuits allege victims were bribed or threatened to stay quiet. Alleged abusers were threatened with violence, according to the lawsuits.

Among some of the more disturbing allegations, the lawsuit filed against Summit Academy alleges one child got his “home pass for Christmas” revoked after fighting back against an abuser. It also claims one staff member broke a victim’s jaw after a female staffer told a 17-year-old student to perform sexual acts on her and a male staff member and the student refused. He told his attorneys he needed surgery and continued to be sexually assaulted by both staff members after sustaining the injury.

The lawsuits state abusers told juveniles they would stay at the facilities longer if they talked about the abuse, would be kicked off sports teams or beat up or abused by classmates or other staff members as punishment. The lawsuits also include numerous allegations that victims reported the abuse to other adults, but nothing was done.

One alleged victim at George Junior Republic said an abuser forced him and other boys to expose themselves to him. “He would then force the boys to touch themselves and others, including Plaintiff A.V. being forced to perform oral sex on another boy. While this was happening, Abuser John Doe would expose himself and masturbate in front of the boys,” the lawsuit states.

Among the claims in the lawsuits, attorneys argue Pennsylvania’s juvenile detention system has been subjecting children to a culture of “exploitation, violence, and rampant sexual abuse” for decades.

Attorneys said widespread reports and investigations into violently abusive staff and federal reports on the environment at many juvenile detention facilities were ignored, all while children were sexually abused by guards, counselors and other staff.

“I think all these victims are finally excited to have their voices heard. It’s been a long time. This abuse occurred for many, many years over quite a few decades. They’re looking for their day in court to have their justice, and so that they can be heard so this doesn’t happen to any other people,” Luckasevic said.

He said the more than ninety men and women represented in the lawsuits shared “disturbingly similar” experiences, which he cited as evidence of a systemic failure by the institutions.

Attorneys said there are more than 100 additional victims who were born before November 1989 and are barred from bringing their claims in the civil justice system due to the Pennsylvania Statute of Limitations.

“These victims have showed unmatched courage to step forward and seek justice and accountability for the horrific sexual abuse they suffered at these juvenile detention centers,” Luckasevic said. “The strength and courage these men and women show in coming forward highlights why it is so important for Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass legislation that will allow survivors of child sexual abuse to seek justice, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.”

The lawsuits seek compensation for the physical, mental and emotional injuries the alleged victims suffered, as well as economic losses and punitive damages.

Anyone who wants to report allegations is asked to reach out to Goldberg, Persky & White at victims@gpwlaw.com.

Channel 11 reached out to all three facilities named in the lawsuits for comment. George Junior Republic and Abraxxas have not returned our calls or emails. Summit Academy provided the following statement Monday afternoon.

“Summit Academy has not been made aware of the details of the allegations referenced in the lawsuit.Summit Academy is a trauma-informed school for at-risk young men, providing educational services, mental health therapy, substance abuse treatment and a host of supplemental rehabilitative services. Our students’ health, safety and welfare are our primary focus, along with their growth and development. We are fully licensed and accredited by numerous agencies that maintain regular, full access to our campus, students and documentation… Our campuses are fully accessible and are visited daily by parents and guardians, as well as child advocates, attorneys and stakeholders from state and county Juvenile Probation (JPO) offices, Children, Youth and Family (CYF) agencies and managed care (MCO) organizations.  In 2023, more than 2000 individuals visited students on our campus.  These individuals have complete access to their students.”

Read the full lawsuits below:

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group