Accountability for Survivors of Abuse in Juvenile Detention

In the spring of 2024, Ruby began speaking with dozens of adults who had survived sexual abuse while kids detained in Washington's juvenile detention system. Unable to come forward earlier, they wondered if they could still bring a claim for something that happened so long ago and shared that their goal was to make sure these kinds of abuses stopped.

Among her clients were people who bravely came forward with claims out of Remann Hall, Pierce County's juvenile detention facility in Tacoma, and Youth Services Center, King County's youth jail in Seattle. Investigation showed that these types of facilities actively disregarded the safety of the young people in their care and worked to erode their ability to bring claims.

King County, for instance, learned about a detention officer sexually exploiting detained children as early as the 1960s. It kept that detention officer on staff anyway. Years later, that officer became a judge - Gary Little - and King County continued to allow him access to the jail where he groomed and targeted young boys. Similar acts of negligence occurred at Pierce County.

Beginning in 2025, the Pierce County Council voted to approve a series of settlements totaling millions of dollars for survivors, following representation and advocacy by Ruby and her former colleagues at Oslund Udo Little, who remain dedicated to these cases. The settlements exposed a devastating, unchecked system of abuse spanning the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. But, eventually - like many wrongdoers - Pierce County stopped taking responsibility. In an effort to prevent accountability and silence survivors, it filed motions to stay the litigation of all claims against it.

For everyone who survived abuse in juvenile detention, mistakes made as kids resulted in their incarceration. They served their time, and were made to believe that sexual abuse was part of their punishment. Correcting this negligence is exactly why the civil justice system exists. While financial compensation can never erase trauma or restore what was taken, survivors are delivering an unmistakable message to carceral institutions by coming forward and demanding justice.

Institutional misconduct thrives on isolation and silence. But survivors of physical or sexual abuse in prison - including medical neglect and other constitutional violations - do not have to carry that burden alone. If you experienced harm while incarcerated, please contact us today for a free, confidential case evaluation to discuss your legal options.