EVERETT—Eight former juvenile detainees on Thursday, November 6, have filed a federal lawsuit against Snohomish County and up to 20 unnamed individuals, alleging widespread sexual abuse by staff at two juvenile facilities—Denney Youth Center and the Denney Juvenile Justice Center—in Everett over a span of more than two decades. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, claims the county failed to protect minors despite known risks and statutory requirements.
“Our community should be shocked and appalled at what the county of Snohomish allowed to happen under its care and supervision,” said Steve Berman, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP’s founder and managing partner representing the victims. “Snohomish County had an obligation to protect those in its custody, including youth in detention, and we cannot imagine a more shameful failure of that duty.”
Adding, “We intend to fight for their rights to retribution under the full extent of the law,” Berman added.
According to the 28-page complaint obtained by the Lynnwood Times, the abuse included rape, forced oral sex, groping, and other forms of sexual assault, often perpetrated in isolated areas such as cells, showers, or “blind spots” without surveillance. The plaintiffs, identified only by initials—A.S., D.V., T.S., S.W., J.R., K.M., S.M., and J.C.—were between the ages of 10 and 17 at the time of the alleged incidents, which allegedly occurred from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s.
The lawsuit describes a pattern of systemic failures, including inadequate staff training, lack of supervision, and policies that allegedly allowed for unsupervised one-on-one contact between guards and detainees. It accuses the county of violating the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which mandates zero tolerance for sexual abuse in detention settings, as well as federal constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.
“Snohomish County repeatedly failed in its basic responsibility to keep Plaintiffs—who were imprisoned and completely dependent children and teenagers—free from sexual abuse, misconduct, harassment, and retaliation,” the complaint states, further alleging that the county’s practices demonstrated “deliberate indifference” to the rights of incarcerated youth, enabling a “culture of abuse” through grooming tactics, such as giving gifts, and threats to deter reporting.
Specific allegations detailed in the filing include:
- A.S., then 17, claims she was stripped, punched, and raped by two male officers during an intake search in 2006.
- D.V., 14 at the time, alleges forced oral sex in a shower area by a guard in 1997, followed by threats against his family.
- T.S., 14, reports being masturbated by a guard in his cell on two occasions in 1986.
- S.W., 14-15, says he was anally raped in an isolated room by a guard named “Bob” in 2001.
- J.R., 15, alleges anal rape by a guard named “Cal” in 1993, with a subsequent report to a probation officer yielding no action.
- K.M., 10, claims repeated masturbation in the shower by “Cal” in the early to mid-1990s.
- S.M., 16, alleges a gang rape by five officers in 1997.
- J.C., 13, reports forced oral sex in her cell by a staff member in 1997.
All plaintiffs currently reside in Snohomish County and are seeking compensatory, punitive, and special damages, as well as attorney fees. The suit also names 20 unnamed “Doe” defendants, presumed to be county employees involved in the alleged misconduct.
The Denney Youth Center opened in the 1940s as a response to a state mandate for separate juvenile facilities, with the Denney Juvenile Justice Center added in 1998.
Thursday’s filing comes 17 months after Washington state enacted House Bill 1618, effective June 6, 2024, which eliminated the statute of limitations for civil claims related to childhood sexual abuse. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Darya Farivar (D-46) and co-sponsored by Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-23).
According to the new law, abuse occurring before June 6, 2024, claims must generally be filed within three years of the act, or three years from when the victim discovers (or reasonably should discover) the injury or its connection to the abuse, with the time tolled until the victim turns 18.
Under RCW 9A.04.080, many serious sex crimes involving minors—such as rape of a child, child molestation, or commercial sexual abuse of a minor—have no time limit and can be prosecuted at any time.
Survivors of similar experiences are encouraged to contact Hagens Berman for support.
Author: Mario Lotmore
