Latest news with #YDCSettlementFund
Boston Globe
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
YDC fund administrator warns new N.H. law will remove him, amid concerns of fairness
'The decision was made by government leadership, not by me, to amend the statute in a manner that ends my post appointed by the supreme court,' he said in a Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Broderick told the Globe he has not resigned, but his reading of the new statute – slated to go into effect Tuesday – effectively removes him from the position. Advertisement 'As I sit here in this office with staff, I have no idea what happens tomorrow morning,' said Broderick, who has served as administrator of the YDC Settlement Fund since its inception in 2022. He was appointed by the NH Supreme Court, but under the new law, the governor can replace him with a candidate of her choosing after securing Executive Council support. The Supreme Court previously needed 'good cause' to remove the administrator. The Advertisement Another measure in the budget gave Ayotte's attorney general the power to reject agreements the administrator made with victims. Those changes prompted the The class action lawsuit filed by victims asked a superior court judge to grant a temporary restraining order to keep Broderick in the position until the court makes a ruling on the lawsuit. But Merrimack County Superior Court Judge John C. Kissinger Jr. denied that request in an order issued Friday, instead scheduling a hearing on the matter on July 8. Broderick said he is anticipating a transition period after the governor appoints a new administrator, but he hasn't received information about the rollout of that transition. 'No one's had the decency to reach out to me or my staff telling us what happens at 12:01 tonight to this operation,' he said in an interview Monday. Broderick was critical of what he called a fundamental redesign of the settlement system, after hundreds of victims had been enticed to file claims there instead of handling them through the courts, which had the potential to be even more costly for the state. Advertisement 'The way it's going to work now, it's like a third world country,' he said. 'The CEO of the defendant, the state, is going to appoint the judge, who can be removed at any time for any reason, and the CEO and the lawyer for the defendant gets to decide whether the judge's decision is correct,' he said. A spokesperson for the governor and for the attorney general did not return a request for comment. Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate budget action includes YDC Settlement Fund, landfill moratorium
The Senate Finance Committee on Monday approved changes to the Youth Development Center Settlement Fund and a moratorium on new landfills. A new provision in the Senate budget proposal would make the administrator of the YDC Settlement Fund a political appointee subject to a vote of the Executive Council to serve at the 'pleasure of the governor.' The current administrator, John Broderick, was appointed by the state Supreme Court with the support of Attorney General John Formella and lawyers representing an overwhelming majority of alleged victims of sexual or physical abuse at the the state's youth detention centers. Broderick is a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court and has come under criticism for his handling of settlement payments. Chuck Miles is a YDC abuse survivor who is on the board of YDC Victims, an advocacy group. "The Senate's proposal to remove any semblance of impartiality surrounding the YDC Settlement Fund administrator is an affront to YDC victims who have voluntarily paused their constitutional rights to a court trial with the understanding that the settlement fund would be a fair, impartial process," Miles said in a statement. "Adopting this measure combined with a dramatic underfunding in the first year of the budget is an abandonment of the settlement fund by the state and a slap in the face for all victims who were promised justice. We encourage the Legislature to change or remove this unfair measure and stand by their promises before the budget is finalized." Landfills The Senate budget panel also approved a scaled-down version of the House-passed moratorium on the construction of new landfills. Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, worked out the Senate position that would reduce the moratorium from three years to one and significantly scale back the powers of a new site evaluation commission to review landfill permit applications. The Senate language also would give preference to expansions of existing landfills over new ones. Gov. Kelly Ayotte had called for a one-year moratorium. klandrigan@
