Current:Home > InvestLawsuit alleges sexual abuse of teens at now-closed Michigan detention center-InfoLens
Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse of teens at now-closed Michigan detention center
View Date:2024-12-23 14:57:15
More than a dozen teenagers were sexually abused by staff while living at a state-licensed detention and rehabilitation center in Michigan before it closed in 2021, according to a lawsuit that accuses the operator of gross negligence.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Saginaw County, describes staff preying on 13 boys and a girl in their rooms, in showers and elsewhere at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center in Buena Vista Township, 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) north of Detroit.
“Until now they have not spent significant time talking about what happened to them,” attorney Corey Stern told The Associated Press. “It’s coming to terms with who they are. It’s coming to terms with unhealthy brokenness.”
The 100-bed center was operated by Wolverine Human Services, which is based in the Detroit area. Teenagers were placed there by courts, the state child welfare system and, in some cases, families.
A message seeking comment on the lawsuit was not immediately returned.
Residents wore shirts that carried the center’s motto: “Reality, Responsibility, Respect, Community, Negotiation, Education, Love.”
But it was a “far more sinister environment,” the lawsuit says.
“Multiple instances of youth-on-youth and staff-on-youth sexual harassment and abuse were reported and known” to center officials, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit doesn’t disclose the names of anyone accused of committing abuse, but some victims know the names. No staff member has been charged with a crime, though “we’d be more than happy to spend time with the attorney general’s office or police department,” Stern said.
Separately, state regulators in 2021 proposed that the center’s license be revoked. Inspectors cited examples of teens being aggressively restrained by staff and other rule violations. Wolverine Human Services disputed the action but ultimately closed the center.
Stern said there are more people who say they were sexually abused as teens at the center, but, under Michigan law, too much time has passed to file a lawsuit.
“I wish I knew how or why this culture of abuse has become more pervasive,” he said. “Ultimately it comes from power. Most victims — in fact all victims — through the eyes of abusers appear to not even be human. They’re commodities.”
___
Follow Ed White on X at https://twitter.com/edwritez
veryGood! (74)
Related
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Northern California wildfire spreads, with more hot weather expected. Thousands evacuate
- Tigers broadcaster Craig Monroe being investigated for alleged criminal sexual conduct
- After mass dolphin stranding, Cape Cod residents remain shaken
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- Jenna Bush Hager Says Her Son Hal, 4, Makes Fun of Her Big Nipples
- Eminem joined by Big Sean, BabyTron on new single 'Tobey' as 'Slim Shady' album release set
- Migrants pause in the Amazon because getting to the US is harder. Most have no idea what lies ahead
- Japan to resume V-22 flights after inquiry finds pilot error caused accident
- No fireworks July 4th? Why drones will dazzle the sky
Ranking
- Utah AD Mark Harlan fined $40,000 for ripping referees and the Big 12 after loss to BYU
- Travis Kelce Shares Golden Rule for Joining Taylor Swift on Stage at Eras Tour
- Cheez-It partners with Hidden Valley Ranch to create new zesty, cheesy snack
- Flavor Flav teams up with Red Lobster to create signature meal: See the items featured
- Homes of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce burglarized, per reports
- At 17 years old, he was paralyzed from the waist down. 3 years later, he competed in a marathon.
- How Todd Chrisley Reacted to Wife Julie Chrisley's Overturned Prison Sentence
- Bear caught in industrial LA neighborhood, traveled 60 miles from Angeles National Forest
Recommendation
-
Democrat Cleo Fields wins re-drawn Louisiana congressional district, flipping red seat blue
-
Virginia certifies John McGuire’s primary victory over Rep. Bob Good, who says he’ll seek a recount
-
Biden to meet with Democratic governors as White House works to shore up support
-
Discipline used in Kansas’ largest school district was discriminatory, the Justice Department says
-
Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
-
July 4th gas prices expected to hit lowest level in 3 years
-
Ann Wilson announces cancer diagnosis, postpones Heart tour
-
World UFO Day 2024: What it is and how UFOs became mainstream in America