Lawsuit Alleges L.A. County Employed Sexual Predators in Juvenile Detention Centers Creating Systemic Abuse of Children

LOS ANGELES, April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arias Sanguinetti filed the first of several lawsuits on behalf of individuals who allege they were sexually harassed and abused as children while in custody in Los Angeles County. These kids, both male and female, were taken advantage of by predatory staff members at various juvenile detention facilities.

According to the complaint, guards, counselors, and security personnel, subjected children, some as young as 12 years of age, to horrific acts of sex abuse, grooming many of them as soon as they arrived. While in custody, these minors were unaware of how to navigate the corrections system, were unable to consent to sexual activity, were at the mercy of these predators, and many ended up acting out as a result of the abuse.

According to the complaint, a number of the children were simply there because they were homeless, and while the juvenile system is meant to rehabilitate them, they were instead traumatized for life. This created a system of abuse from which these kids could not escape.

"Predators employed by the County of Los Angeles took advantage of these then-minors who had no way to protect themselves," said lead Los Angeles sex abuse attorney Mike Arias. "They were treated as objects and were left with no one to help them, until now."

The complaint alleges that each of the individuals who suffered abuse developed serious long-term mental health issues including emotional distress, anxiety, and depression, as well as loss of opportunities because of the crimes committed against them.

"Even if these kids did want to speak up, the system does not make it easy for a victim to report a crime," added Mike Arias. "Between a fear of retaliation (by officers and other detainees) and the fact that these predatory authority figures would dismissively respond 'it didn't happen,' each of these survivors had no chance to stop the abuse."

Survivors of sex abuse in any juvenile detention center should contact the firm immediately at 310-844-9696 or email [email protected]. 

The case is Jane/John Doe v. Roe 1 County, Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. 23STCV06578.

About Arias Sanguinetti
With more than 40 years of experience and over $1 billion obtained for clients, Arias Sanguinetti is the premier law firm handling sex abuse cases in Los Angeles. The firm made history obtaining the $852 million settlement against USC on behalf of more than 700 former students, the largest known settlement in a sexual abuse case in U.S. history, as well as the largest known personal injury settlement against a university. 

Media Contact:
Arias Sanguinetti
310-844-9696
[email protected]

SOURCE Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos