NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Levy Konigsberg and co-counsel filed lawsuits on Monday on behalf of over 130 survivors of sexual abuse against Cook County and the State of Illinois. With these new filings, 800 total cases have now been filed on behalf of survivors sexually abused in Illinois juvenile facilities. The lawsuits allege that Cook County and the State failed to protect children from rampant sexual abuse perpetrated by adult employees at juvenile detention facilities throughout the state. These lawsuits are the latest in a string of juvenile detention abuse lawsuits spearheaded by Levy Konigsberg along with its co-counsel across the State of Illinois and the United States.
Cook County and the State of Illinois have allowed a culture of sexual abuse to flourish at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) and Illinois Youth Centers (IYC) for several decades. As a result of chronic mismanagement, patronage, isolation of children, unsupervised staff and children, and other policies and tortious acts, JTDC and IYCs have maintained an environment of violence, fear, and sexual abuse for many decades. As recently as 2022, a committee convened by the Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County reported the “harsh reality that JTDC youth are locked in their cells for most of the day, every day…. No parent would be allowed to do this to their child.”
Similarly, several of the IYC facilities throughout the state 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 9 to 17. The perpetrators of the sexual abuse were supervisors, correctional officers, counselors, supervisors and other staff.
In announcing Monday’s lawsuits filed against the State of Illinois and Cook County, Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block stated:
“With cases now filed on behalf of 800 survivors, this is a growing scandal that points to the failure of the Illinois juvenile justice system. The complaints we have filed on behalf of these survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Illinois juvenile detention facilities identify over 150 correctional officers and staff, many of whom sexually abused multiple victims. The State of Illinois refuses to take any responsibility for the horrific abuse its deeply flawed policies have enabled. Instead, the State is seeking dismissal of these cases and defying the will of Illinois lawmakers who enacted the Childhood Sexual Abuse Act to hold institutions accountable. The State’s evasion of responsibility sends the alarming message that it does not take seriously its sacred obligation to protect children in its custody. These survivors are courageously standing up to the State’s baseless legal maneuvers and will continue to demand justice under the Childhood Sexual Abuse Act.”
Levy Konigsberg has filed more than a thousand lawsuits on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse nationwide and is at the forefront of litigation in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania and other states.
Levy Konigsberg represents hundreds of survivors of childhood sexual abuse at Illinois youth centers and plans to continue fighting tirelessly on their behalf.
For additional information about IYC and JTDC 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
