LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — ACTS Law filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging hundreds of victims were sexually harassed and assaulted for decades while in the juvenile detention system by predator officers and county officials.
According to the complaint, minors in the direct custody, care, and supervision of L.A. County were abused during the time of their mandated detainment. The systemic failure that the county is being accused of failed hundreds of minors when it negligently decided to have a lack of adequate hiring policies to screen for potential sexual predators within its facilities, as well as appropriate training and supervision over their staff and employees.
The predators and abusers hired by the County had exclusive control under the guise of “authority” to abuse their victims. The abusive behavior includes allegations of grooming, unsupervised intimate access that led to physical and verbal abuse, and inadequate training of employees on proper standards. L.A. County did not provide inmate minors with the necessary supervision to keep them safe from harm. These minors were victimized by the very people sworn to protect them from harm.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that the pandemic multiple-decade long abuse of these minor victims within the exclusive control of Los Angeles County’s juvenile detention system were allowed to run its course for as long as they did with no consequences or recourse,” said Doug Rochen, Partner at ACTS Law. “The irreversible trauma, suffering, and emotional and physical abuse that these children underwent will be a lifelong struggle that they will live with forever. The county should be held responsible for the predatory behavior of these officers and county officials they hired, failed to properly vet, and failed to properly train.”
The allegations of abuse include the following:
- In one instance, a then 16-year-old boy alleges that a deputy probation officer initially brought him snacks to his cell at night and engaged in conversation when nobody was around in an attempt to groom him. On three separate occasions the minor was sexually abused and harassed within his cell.
- A then 13-year-old girl alleges that she was sexually abused and harassed by a group of deputy probation officers while she was alone brushing her teeth one night. They promised “extra food and extra privileges” if she willingly allowed them to touch her. When she failed to comply she was restrained, then brutally and painfully raped.
- On more than ten separate occasions a then 17-year-old boy alleges a deputy probation officer sexually abused and harassed him. The officer would enter his cell at night, bring him alcohol to get him drunk, and sodomize him.
- In more than ten separate instances a then 16-year-old girl was sexually abused, groped, and harassed within her cell by a deputy probation officer. The officer would isolate the girl in the dorms alone at night and would threaten her by saying that she would ‘get more time if she said anything’ about the abuse.
- A then 12-year-old boy alleges he was sexually abused and harassed until he was 14-years-old by a deputy probation officer in secluded locations on multiple occasions. The officer would drop $100 bills or snacks down the boy’s pants in the form of “games” and then proceed to abuse him sexually.
“Imagine being a young, incarcerated teenager being sexually abused,” Mr. Rochen said. “What access to justice did these kids have? What options were available to them? And who would have believed their cries for help even if they said something let alone being threatened with violence or further incarceration if they spoke up?”
The complaint goes on to suggest that officials knew, or should have known, that the abusers had engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct in the past. However, the LA County in-turn decided to conceal and disclose this information to the victims.
The case is John AK Roe et al. v. County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. 22STCV39412.
ACTS Law has over a decade of experience with skilled and knowledgeable attorneys representing victims in a broad array of case types. They have recovered over a billion dollars in settlements, helping their clients receive the justice that is so rightfully deserved.
CONTACT: Douglas Rochen, (833) 228-7529
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SOURCE ACTS Law
