Latest news with #abuse
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
New Hampshire lawsuit seeks to stop politicization of youth center abuse victims' fund
Lawyers representing hundreds of men and woman who claim they were abused at New Hampshire's youth detention center filed a class action lawsuit Friday seeking to prevent the independent administrator of the state's settlement fund for victims from being replaced with a political appointee. Lawmakers created the settlement fund in 2022, pitching it as a 'victim-centered' and 'trauma-informed' alternative to litigation that would be run by a neutral administrator appointed by the state Supreme Court. But the Republican-led Legislature changed that process through last-minute additions to the state budget approved Thursday and signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Friday. Under the new provisions taking effect July 1, the governor will have the authority to hire and fire the fund's administrator, and the attorney general — also a political appointee — would have veto power over settlement awards. In affidavits filed with their complaint, the lead plaintiffs said the change amounts to a bait and switch that reignited the skepticism they initially felt about the settlement process but tried to put aside. 'I never would have shared the full story of what happened to me if I did not think I would be heard by someone impartial,' said a woman identified only as Jane Doe, who said she ran away from home to escape sexual abuse only to be further abused in state custody. 'I feel incredibly betrayed by the state's actions, but this is just the latest in a long list of betrayals by the state, so maybe I should not be surprised,' she said. 'This also makes me wonder whether the state will next betray the promise of confidentiality, because it seems like their word does not mean anything to them.' Another plaintiff, Andrew Foley, described being diagnosed with PTSD, not from his time as a combat soldier in Iraq but from the physical and sexual abuse he suffered as a child. 'As I understand it, the State will now decide for itself how much my claim is worth. That is the opposite of a fair process,' his affidavit said. 'As I always believed, the state cannot be trusted.' Neither Ayotte nor Attorney General John Formella responded to requests for comment Friday. More than 1,300 people have sued since 2020 alleging that they were physically or sexually abused in state custody as children, most of them at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Only one case has gone to trial, resulting in a $38 million verdict, though the state is trying to slash it to $475,000. Two other cases have been settled for $10 million and $4.5 million. The state also has brought criminal charges against former workers, with two convictions and two mistrials so far. Many of the alleged victims put their lawsuits on hold and applied to the settlement fund, which caps payouts at $2.5 million. As of March 31, 296 cases had been settled, with an average award of $543,000, according to the most recently available statistics. The lawsuit filed Friday seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the governor from firing the current administrator, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick.
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
New Hampshire lawsuit seeks to stop politicization of youth center abuse victims' fund
CONCORD, N.H. — Lawyers representing hundreds of men and woman who claim they were abused at New Hampshire's youth detention center filed a class action lawsuit Friday seeking to prevent the independent administrator of the state's settlement fund for victims from being replaced with a political appointee. Lawmakers created the settlement fund in 2022, pitching it as a 'victim-centered' and 'trauma-informed' alternative to litigation that would be run by a neutral administrator appointed by the state Supreme Court. But the Republican-led Legislature changed that process through last-minute additions to the state budget approved Thursday and signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Friday.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
New Hampshire lawsuit seeks to stop politicization of youth center abuse victims' fund
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Lawyers representing hundreds of men and woman who claim they were abused at New Hampshire's youth detention center filed a class action lawsuit Friday seeking to prevent the independent administrator of the state's settlement fund for victims from being replaced with a political appointee. Lawmakers created the settlement fund in 2022, pitching it as a 'victim-centered' and 'trauma-informed' alternative to litigation that would be run by a neutral administrator appointed by the state Supreme Court. But the Republican-led Legislature changed that process through last-minute additions to the state budget approved Thursday and signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte on Friday. Under the new provisions taking effect July 1, the governor will have the authority to hire and fire the fund's administrator, and the attorney general — also a political appointee — would have veto power over settlement awards. In affidavits filed with their complaint, the lead plaintiffs said the change amounts to a bait and switch that reignited the skepticism they initially felt about the settlement process but tried to put aside. 'I never would have shared the full story of what happened to me if I did not think I would be heard by someone impartial,' said a woman identified only as Jane Doe, who said she ran away from home to escape sexual abuse only to be further abused in state custody. 'I feel incredibly betrayed by the state's actions, but this is just the latest in a long list of betrayals by the state, so maybe I should not be surprised,' she said. 'This also makes me wonder whether the state will next betray the promise of confidentiality, because it seems like their word does not mean anything to them.' Another plaintiff, Andrew Foley, described being diagnosed with PTSD, not from his time as a combat soldier in Iraq but from the physical and sexual abuse he suffered as a child. 'As I understand it, the State will now decide for itself how much my claim is worth. That is the opposite of a fair process,' his affidavit said. 'As I always believed, the state cannot be trusted.' Neither Ayotte nor Attorney General John Formella responded to requests for comment Friday. More than 1,300 people have sued since 2020 alleging that they were physically or sexually abused in state custody as children, most of them at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Only one case has gone to trial, resulting in a $38 million verdict, though the state is trying to slash it to $475,000. Two other cases have been settled for $10 million and $4.5 million. The state also has brought criminal charges against former workers, with two convictions and two mistrials so far. Many of the alleged victims put their lawsuits on hold and applied to the settlement fund, which caps payouts at $2.5 million. As of March 31, 296 cases had been settled, with an average award of $543,000, according to the most recently available statistics. The lawsuit filed Friday seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the governor from firing the current administrator, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick.
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
Prosecutors press Chau Lam on her mother's killing
Crown prosecutors spent the better part of two days this week pressing Chau Lam about the 2022 killing of her 88-year-old mother. Chau Lam, 59, and her sister Hue Lam, 62, each pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the October 2022 death of their mother, Kieu Lam. The jury trial began earlier this month in the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa. Testifying in Vietnamese through a translator, Chau Lam began her testimony earlier this week by telling the court she loved her mother — and that she killed her. "I was scared my mother would hit my sister to death, she would hit me to death," she said. "Sometimes she just used a stick to hit us in the head. We had to protect ourselves." Since their arrest, the sisters have said they endured years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother. During Chau Lam's testimony, the court heard about her mother's history of medical issues, including a fractured hip and shoulder, and repeated visits to doctors and hospitals in the years leading up to her death. Chau Lam told the jury her mother never directly threatened to kill them, but said the violence had been escalating before the killing. Under cross-examination, Chau Lam could not point to any specific serious assaults or injuries inflicted by her mother. She also agreed there were no defensive wounds on her body when she was arrested. Prosecutors challenged the defence's argument the sisters were under their mother's control, noting that one held a job, they attended temple and both had taken English classes. The Crown has argued Kieu Lam gave life to her daughters, only to have hers taken. Prosecutors previously told the jury the woman was "sleeping defenceless" in bed when the sisters smashed her head with a hammer and strangled her. Chau Lam acknowledged that she was "angry" at the time of the killing — as she told police following her arrest. Difficult testimony The court recessed several times Thursday and Friday as Chau Lam became emotional under questioning. At one point, she broke down while describing how the abuse worsened after her sister was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. "I'm a human being. I know what is right and what is wrong," she said. "It's not that my mom just scolded us a few times and then we would get upset and kill our mom," she added, saying if her mom had given them "a little bit of love" they would be content. As testimony continued, Chau at one point Thursday said she could no longer go on. "No matter how many times, you will not understand," she told the court. "I will now stop talking. The more I talk, the more it looks like I tried to blame my mom, so I [will] stop talking." Court was adjourned for the day. It resumed Friday with further cross-examination focused on the condition of the victim, who was 88 years old and used a walker. After 16 minutes of questioning, Chau again became emotional and another break was required. She told the jury: "The more people talk, people say that I try to blame my mom. My mom's already dead. If my mom was still alive, then I am not sitting here."
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ex-Boston University soccer coach accused by Alex Cooper of sexual harassment hit by new abuse allegations
Boston University have been hit by fresh allegations against one of their former soccer coaches - just weeks after Alex Cooper's claims about the staff member. The allegations come just weeks after 'Call Her Daddy' host Cooper claimed she was sexually harassed by the school's long-time former coach, Nancy Feldman. The allegations from Cooper, who played at the school from 2013-15, were revealed in her newly-released Hulu documentary, 'Call Me Alex.' at the start of the month. The University have since responded to Cooper's claims and insisted they 'remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment'. However, a new bombshell interview with former BU soccer star Sophia Woodland has now emerged. In it, she claims that Feldman was a 'manipulator'. In an interview with PEOPLE, she explained: 'The first word that comes to mind is just 'horrible'. She is awful. She, I think, puts on a really good front.' 'During the recruiting process, everybody would talk about how amazing she was. The second I got to school, I was like, 'I've been conned. This is not the same person that I committed under.' Woodland continued: 'I would go so far as to say she's an abuser and manipulator.' 'A lot of what I sort of faced was just psychological abuse and manipulation tactics and this intimidation, psychological intimidation, tactic from her that had a lot to do with my body. But I never really felt comfortable. It was almost humiliating.' The former BU Women's soccer player insisted that, unlike Cooper, she 'didn't face sexual harassment', from Feldman but 'never really felt comfortable'. She continued: 'My freshman and sophomore year, from the second I got there, it was always, always about my body. 'And I was like, 'Okay, why did you recruit me then? Why am I even here?' Because you knew what my body looked like.' 'She was like, 'I want you to work with our strength coach and you need to gain 30 to 40 pounds and weigh as much as so-and-so. She would constantly bring up one teammate, who also played my position.' She later recalled an incident, while at University, which served as a moment of realization as the team revealed their own ordeal with Feldman. Woodland revealed how - in the wake of the death of Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer in 2022 - several BU soccer players sought out session with the university's psychologist. However, what began as a discussion over Meyer's tragic death quickly spiraled into the players detailing their own, individual experiences with Feldman. 'After 10 minutes, the conversation went from talking about [Katie's] suicide to our own experiences with Nancy and the abuse that a lot of people faced,' she remembers. 'It got so bad to where every single one of us went around the room and were sharing things that were said to us personally in meetings over the years. And we were all just crying, hearing each other's stories.' Responding to Cooper's initial allegations earlier this month, the University wrote; 'Boston University has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. 'We have a robust system of resources, support and staff dedicated to student wellbeing and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office. 'We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.' In her own telling of her experience, Cooper said in her documentary that her complaints were dismissed by school officials. Daily Mail have reached out to Boston University officials for comment. Feldman coached the BU Terriers since 1995, when the school first adopted women's soccer as a varsity sport, until 2022. Meanwhile, on Thursday, a second ex-Boston University women's soccer coach was accused of sexual harassment. According to the Boston Globe, Feldman's former assistant coach Casey Brown is facing similar accusations from soccer player Shayla Brown. Shayla, who was also a student-athlete at the university, reportedly contacted the confidential ethics hotline about Brown on September 14, 2024, before discussing another player's alleged ordeal with the team's sports psychologist four days later. 'The coach, she said, was acting inappropriately toward one of BU's key players, focusing excessively on her and trying to manipulate her in ways that were distressing to the player and her teammates,' the Boston Globe noted.
