NEW YORK, June 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Levy Konigsberg and co-counsel filed additional lawsuits on Friday on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse against the State of Illinois, which follows a similar lawsuit filed earlier this month, bringing the total to over 200 survivors who have filed suit against the State of Illinois. The lawsuits allege that the Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice failed to protect children from rampant sexual abuse perpetrated by adult employees at Illinois Youth Centers in Chicago, Murphysboro, Valley View, Joliet, Kewanee, Warrenville, St. Charles, Pere Marquette, and Harrisburg. To date, Levy Konigsberg and co-counsel have brought lawsuits against the State of Illinois on behalf of over 200 men and women who were abused as children at these detention facilities. These lawsuits are the latest in a string of juvenile detention abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg along with its co-counsel.

Juvenile detention centers across Illinois have faced years of scrutiny over failures to protect youth inmates from violence and sexual abuse perpetrated by staff, and several facilities have been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as having the highest rates of sexual victimization in the nation. From civil lawsuits and criminal cases involving abusive guards to alarming investigative findings, the record shows that the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) and other entities that operate jails or facilities that house youth inmates failed to reign in a culture of secrecy and cover-ups that allowed staff-on-inmate abuse to persist for decades.

The suits filed by Levy Konigsberg were brought under the recently amended Childhood Sexual Abuse Act as codified at 735 ILCS 5/13-202.2. The Childhood Sexual Abuse Act provides legal pathways for victims of this type of sexual abuse to pursue damages from their abusers and from the institutions that enabled the abuse by increasing the time in which survivors of sexual abuse are permitted to come forward and file civil lawsuits.

The Survivors who have filed clams so far include those who suffered sexual abuse as far back as the 1990s and up through recent years. The plaintiffs, who are now adults, were sexually abused as children ranging from age 10 to 17. The perpetrators of the sexual abuse were correctional officers, counselors, supervisors and other Illinois Youth Center staff.

In announcing Friday’s lawsuits filed against the State of Illinois, Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block stated:

“With over 200 cases already filed, it’s time for the State of Illinois to accept responsibility for the systematic sexual abuse of children at Illinois Youth Centers. Courageous survivors throughout the State are continuing to come forward with horrific cases of sexual abuse that they suffered as children at juvenile facilities. It’s outrageous that the perpetrators were the very adult staff members that were supposed to keep children safe. This rampant, institutionalized sexual abuse went on for decades and there is no evidence that the State has done anything to fix its procedures and ensure the safety of children in the Illinois juvenile system.”

Levy Konigsberg has filed hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse nationwide and is at the forefront of litigation in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, and other states.

Levy Konigsberg represents hundreds of survivors of child sexual abuse at Illinois juvenile detention facilities and plans to continue fighting tirelessly on their behalf.

For additional information about Illinois juvenile detention center sex abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg, and its co-counsel, media members and journalists are encouraged to reach out to Attorney Jerome Block by using the law firm’s contact form: https://www.levylaw.com/contact-us/

Media Contact: Attorney Jerome Block; [email protected]

SOURCE Levy Konigsberg