Darrell Cochran recently filed a lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court on behalf of five men who state that they were sexually abused by staff at Remann Hall as youths and that the county did nothing to stop it. This recent filing highlights the ongoing problem and lack of remediation.
About the Case
The Complaint states Pierce County failed to protect five youth detainees from sexual abuse orchestrated by staff at Remann Hall. Remann Hall is a youth juvenile detention center in Tacoma, Washington and is operated by the county. The allegations span three decades.
The Washington sexual abuse lawsuit presents the separate but similar cases of five men who were 12 to 16 years old when the alleged abuse occurred after entering the facility anywhere between 1993 and 2015, with the abuse occurring sometime in the 2000s. The now-adults claim that when they were children, Remann Hall guards sexually abused them.
Darrell Cochran is representing three of the men who were victims of the most egregious acts of sexual assault at the center.
Systemic Problems
The latest filing is only one of many alleging that the facility failed to protect youth detainees and created a culture where such abuse was pervasive and ignored. The new lawsuit alleges the highest levels of management knew “a culture of sexually inappropriate behavior pervaded” the facility and failed to take any corrective action. The lawsuit claims that evidence of sexual abuse at Remann Hall was ignored, investigations were inadequate and quickly closed, these responses resulted in a culture of permissiveness and indifference to claims of abuse, and that the defendants continuously engaged in a pattern of conduct to cover up the ongoing sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The five plaintiffs named in the suit, as well as others, were subjected to continued abuse due to this rampant abuse culture, according to the suit.
Darrell Cochran has represented other victims of sexual abuse at Remann Hall and other state-run juvenile facilities in Centralia and Chehalis. He reported to the press that “All of the local juvenile facilities seemed to have a pervasive problem of staff sexually abusing residents who were placed there.” He also says that Remann Hall failed to implement any changes to its hiring practices or other policies to prevent abuse once it became aware of other accusations.
Contact Darrell Cochran for a Confidential Case Review
If you or your child was sexually abused at Remann Hall or another youth detention center in the area, Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer can help. We aggressively pursue legal claims to hold negligent organizations and governmental entities responsible for such abuse. Contact us today for a free and confidential case evaluation.