Greater Nashua
New Hampshire jury finds state liable for abuse at youth detention center and awards victim $38M
BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire jury awarded $38 million to the man who blew the lid off abuse allegations at the state's youth detention center Friday, finding in a landmark case that the state's negligence allowed him to be beaten, raped and held in solitary confinement as a teen. David Meehan's attorney said his client was "overwhelmed and overjoyed" by what he called the largest jury award in a civil case in New Hampshire history, though the state said the amount will be reduced to $475,000 under its law that caps damages. "David now feels like he has a reason to live," Rus Rilee, Meehan's attorney, said. Meehan, 42, went to police in 2017 and sued the state three years later. Since then, 11 former state workers have been arrested and more than 1,100 other former residents of the Youth Development Center in Manchester have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual ...
