New Hampshire settles youth center abuse case for $10 million

The New Hampshire attorney general's office has reached a $10 million settlement with Michael Gilpatrick, who alleged that he was gang-raped in a stairwell at the state’s youth detention center when he was a teenager in the 1990s. Gilpatrick's lawsuit was poised to be one of the first of over 1,300 such cases to go to trial, but the settlement was agreed upon out of court, according to his legal team.

Gilpatrick, now 41, was sent to the Youth Development Center at the age of 14. His allegations included sexual abuse by ten staff members, with horrific claims of being raped and choked to unconsciousness. In a 2021 interview, he described his time at the center as a period that left him trapped in fear and confusion, stating, "That place turned us into what we were."

The settlement amount represents a significant sum—four times the maximum of the state’s settlement fund for abuse victims—although it is considerably less than the $38 million awarded by a jury in a separate case that remains under dispute. Gilpatrick's allegations have led to criminal charges against several former staff members, including Brad Asbury, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.

Gilpatrick’s testimony in both civil and criminal trials revealed the prolonged trauma he experienced, claiming that reporting the abuse was impossible due to the involvement of dorm leaders. He spoke candidly about his journey to acknowledge his victimization, emphasizing that accepting it wasn't his fault was an essential step toward healing.

Since 2019, eleven former youth counselors have faced charges as part of an investigation into the institution, with varying outcomes in trials and convictions. As the legislature moves to close the facility, which now houses a limited number of serious offenders, the focus remains on addressing the deep-seated issues of abuse that have marred the detention center's history.