- More than 30 people filed two lawsuits Tuesday alleging they were sexually abused as children in Maryland youth programs.
- The lawsuit describes decades of abuse by staff at Good Shepherd Services, which is intended to provide therapeutic support to vulnerable youth.
- The lawsuit targets the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Health.
In two lawsuits filed Tuesday, more than 30 people allege they were sexually abused as children at a Maryland youth residential program that was shut down in 2017 after similar allegations. .
In a separate lawsuit, lawyers allege decades of child abuse by staff at Good Shepherd Services Behavioral Health Treatment Center, which billed itself as a therapeutic and supportive environment for Maryland’s most vulnerable youth. He detailed the allegations of abuse.
The program was founded in 1864 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic religious order focused on supporting women and girls. It began in a facility in Baltimore and has since moved to a state-of-the-art campus on the outskirts of the city.
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Tuesday’s lawsuit adds to the growing pile of lawsuits since the Maryland General Assembly abolished the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases last year.
Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis, Maryland. In two lawsuits filed Tuesday, more than 30 people allege they were sexually abused as children at a Maryland youth residential program that was shut down in 2017 after similar allegations. . (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Many of the plaintiffs, almost all women, reported being injected with sedatives that made it more difficult for them to resist the abuse. Others said their abusers, including nuns and priests employed by the centre, bribed them with food and gifts, and threatened them with violence and removal of privileges.
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The complaint was filed against the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and the Department of Human Services, which contracted with Good Shepherd and referred the children for treatment. The lawsuit also names the state Department of Health, which is tasked with overseeing the residential facilities. The Sisters of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd are not named as defendants in either lawsuit.
In a joint statement Tuesday afternoon, the three state agencies said the court documents have not yet been served.
“However, the Department of Health and Human Services, Youth Affairs Bureau is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and young people in our care. “We take allegations of sexual abuse seriously,” the statement said.
Many of the children referred to Good Shepherd were in foster care or involved in the state’s juvenile justice system.
“Maryland sent some of its most vulnerable children to this facility and failed to protect them,” said attorney Jerome Block, who represents 13 plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits filed Tuesday. ” he said.
Good Shepherd closed in 2017 after state officials decided to withdraw children from the program. In the previous year, one patient reported being sexually assaulted and another patient showed signs of an overdose after taking drugs stolen from a medical cart, and failing to provide adequate supervision. was pointed out. , according to the Baltimore Sun.
“The sexual assault of a vulnerable teenager by a state employee is horrifying, but the fact that clergy were also complicit is just one of many truly disgusting aspects of what happened at Good Shepherd Services. Adam Slater, an attorney representing 26 plaintiffs in the second lawsuit, said: .
One of the plaintiffs told a priest during confession that he had been abused by two female employees at the center, and that he feared “God would hate him,” the lawsuit said. Instead of doing anything to help her, the priest sexually assaulted her and continued to abuse her every two weeks for the remainder of her stay, she said, according to her complaint.
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Since changes to state law went into effect in October, a flurry of lawsuits have been filed alleging mistreatment of incarcerated youth. Lawmakers approved the changes with the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal in mind after a scathing investigative report revealed the scope of problems within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. But in recent months, an unexpected spotlight has been placed on the state’s juvenile justice system.
Lawyers have said they plan to file more charges under the new law, but the case could be delayed by a widely anticipated constitutional challenge currently being heard in court.
A Prince George’s County circuit court judge ruled last week that the law is constitutional over a challenge by the Archdiocese of Washington, which also covers part of Maryland, but that decision is being appealed. It is expected that The lawsuit accuses the archdiocese of failing to protect the three plaintiffs from sexual abuse by clergy as children.
