Eight Survivors Sue Clark County Over Alleged Longstanding Sexual Abuse at Juvenile Detention Facility

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Eight individuals have filed a civil lawsuit in Clark County Superior Court alleging that they were subjected to sexual abuse while detained as minors at the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center. The suit claims that the abuse occurred over several decades and reflects systemic failures within the facility’s operations and oversight.

The plaintiffs, identified in court filings by their initials, were held at the detention center between 1978 and 2014. Their complaint alleges repeated incidents of rape, molestation, sexual exploitation, and retaliation by detention staff against youth as young as 13 years old.

According to the filing, Clark County failed to uphold its duty to ensure the safety of children in its custody. The complaint asserts that longstanding institutional breakdowns—including negligent hiring and retention practices, inadequate supervision, poor training, and a failure to investigate reports of misconduct—enabled abusive behavior to persist unchecked for decades.

“This case is not about a single bad actor,” said Scott Edwards, one of the attorneys representing the victims. “It is about an institutional failure that spanned generations. Children were entrusted to the County’s care, and instead of protection, they were subjected to sexual violence and intimidation.”

• The complaint details a range of alleged misconduct by staff, including:
• Performing unlawful and invasive strip searches that amounted to sexual assault;
• Taking children to unsupervised areas such as storage rooms, laundry facilities, cells, and other unmonitored spaces;
• Using threats of extended detention, revoked privileges, or physical harm to intimidate and silence victims;
• Providing contraband, food, or special treatment as part of grooming behaviors;
• Ignoring reports of abuse and permitting accused employees to remain in positions of authority over youth.

Several plaintiffs allege they attempted to report the abuse but were dismissed, ignored, or retaliated against. In some instances, they claim staff told them that no one would believe their accounts and suggested that other employees were complicit.

The Allegations Span From the Late 1970s Through At Least 2014

The lawsuit contends that despite the existence of laws such as Washington’s custodial sexual misconduct statute and the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), Clark County failed to establish effective safeguards, reporting systems, and accountability measures to protect detained youth.

Attorney Sara Schirato, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, stated that the eight named individuals likely represent only a small percentage of those affected.

“The pattern, duration, and similarity of these allegations strongly suggest there are many more victims,” said Schirato. “We believe there are former detainees, and possibly even former staff, who witnessed misconduct or were themselves abused and have not yet come forward.”

The lawsuit asserts that children held at the facility often lacked meaningful access to independent reporting mechanisms and were vulnerable due to short detention stays, limited family contact, and fear of retaliation. According to the complaint, these factors created an environment in which abuse could occur without accountability.

The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages for physical injury and severe emotional and psychological harm, including long-term trauma and post-traumatic stress. They also ask the court to require the County to implement substantial policy reforms and oversight measures to safeguard youth in custody going forward.

“This lawsuit is about accountability,” Edwards said. “It is also about giving voice to victims who were silenced as children and for much of their adult lives but who have found courage to speak up.”

“All it takes is one person speaking up to break decades of silence,” counsel added. “If you were there and something didn’t feel right, whether it happened to you or you saw it happen to someone else, we want to hear from you.”

Counsel for the plaintiffs encourage anyone who was detained at the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center and experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct, inappropriate behavior, or retaliation by staff to contact their office. Former employees with relevant knowledge of conditions at the facility during the time period in question are also urged to come forward.

The case, D.K., D.J., E.P., H.E., J.W., J.C., S.B., Z.C. v. Clark County, is currently pending in Clark County Superior Court.

Read original press release and download the complaint here.