Lawsuits filed Monday against three youth detention facilities in Western Pennsylvania allege years of physical and sexual abuse against nearly 100 children.
The three complaints — filed by 92 people who previously were held at the centers — name as defendants Abraxas Youth & Family Services with headquarters in Pittsburgh; George Junior Republic in Grove City, and Summit Academy, which is based in Pittsburgh but operates a detention facility in Butler County.
The allegations date back as far as 2000, and include some as recently as 2023.
In each of the lawsuits, the plaintiffs are identified only by initials, and those who allegedly committed the abuse are identified by initials, first name, or last name, job title or as John and Jane Does. In some instances where the alleged abusers’ names are unknown, there are physical descriptions provided.
Twenty-three people filed suit against Summit; 33 filed against Abraxas and 36 are suing George Junior Republic.
The lawsuits, filed in in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, include claims for negligence, negligent hiring, training, retention and supervision and breach of fiduciary duty.
Each of the complaints are replete with examples of the minors reporting the abuse to family members, facility supervisors and other staff members. But in most instances, the allegations were dismissed.
“When they tried to report it to supervisors, they were ignored,” said attorney Jason Luckasevic, who filed the lawsuits. “They’ve been dealing with trust issues for decades.”
None of the plaintiffs have gone to law enforcement officials to report the alleged abuse, he said.
“This is a really traumatic event for a youth — and then to be in a situation where no one believes they,” Luckasevic said. “They felt like they never had a voice.”
A message left with the state attorney general’s press office Monday afternoon was not immediately returned.
In each instance, the lawsuits alleges that employees had inappropriate and criminal sexual relationships with children that included bribery and grooming, and that employees turned a blind eye to a culture of abuse, which ranged from inappropriate strip searches to rape and physical violence.
Claims against Summit include allegations of abuse by teachers, counselors, coaches and supervisors.
In one instance at Summit in 2014 to 2015, when a boy refused to engage in sexual acts with two employees, another staff member entered his room and assaulted him, including breaking his jaw, the complaint said.
The boy told his aunt about the abuse, which included prohibiting him from going home at the holidays, but when she passed it on, staff dismissed the allegations, the lawsuit said.
In another example, a shift leader made one boy ride the bus to and from another Summit facility naked, the complaint said.
Sometimes, the abuse was traded for favors, like allowing students to remain on the football team, to use the computer to access Facebook or get outside food. In addition, the complaint said the abusers threatened children with the loss of phone privileges or home passes if they reported the abuse.
In a statement, Summit Academy, which noted it has accreditation from the state Department of Human Services, said it had not been made aware of the details of the lawsuit’s allegations.
“Our students’ health, safety and welfare are our primary focus, along with their growth and development,” the statement said.
The statement noted that Summit’s facilities are visited by parents, guardians and child advocates daily, including more than 2,000 people last year.
Messages left with the other two defendants Monday afternoon were not immediately returned.
The Abraxas lawsuit alleges abuse at several of the company’s facilities, including South Mountain, Erie, and Morgantown.
In one instance, a staff member at Abraxas Marienville gave drugs to a boy in custody and took him to her house to engage in sexual acts even though she was supposed to take him to community service off campus.
In some cases, staff members who were abusing residents would withhold phone calls and Sunday visits if the children reported abuse.
In one instance, in 2014, a juvenile girl went on a camping trip from the Abraxas Academy Morgantown facility. When she woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, she alleges that an officer followed her and raped her.
In the most recent claim from 2023, a boy who was housed with Abraxas in Marienville alleges that he was repeatedly targeted by a female staff member who would enter his room at night and sexually abuse him.
After the abuse was reported by other victims who gave the boy’s name, he experienced retaliation, the lawsuit said.
At George Junior, the lawsuit alleges that residents who complied with abuse — and didn’t report it — would be rewarded with snacks and extended hours away from their housing units.
Residents were repeatedly subject to unwarranted strip searches, the lawsuit said, or were forced to shower together and touch each other.
In one example, a resident between 2006 and 2010, identified his abusers as a cottage parent couple.
The lawsuit alleges the couple forced the boy to perform sexual acts on them and watch them have sex with each other. The couple threatened to send the boy to isolation in the Crisis Intervention Unit if he reported the abuse, the complaint said.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.