OPELIKA, Ala. ( WSFA ) - An Alabama mother says the Lee County Youth Development Center in Opelika failed to keep her son safe, and her family is suing the state-contracted facility. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday morning, claims the boy was sexually assaulted at the center when he was 14.
The civil complaint says the boy was admitted in October 2023 for emotional and behavioral issues.
“Instead, within a month, he was sexually abused by his roommate… a 16-year-old who had a history of inappropriate sexual behaviors. Our client heartbreakingly leaves worse than he came in… and he’s going to deal with this the rest of his life,” said attorney Tommy James, the owner of Tommy James Law.
James and Jeremy Knowles are suing the center and unknown staff members for negligence and wantonness. The lawsuit claims staff failed to protect a vulnerable child through poor staffing, supervision, and room assignments.
James said the boy reported the assault to staff the next morning, and staff called law enforcement. He said law enforcement spoke with the boy and performed tests, which led to criminal charges against the roommate.
Without discussing the details of the juvenile court proceeding, James said the attorneys waited for some of that process to conclude before filing the lawsuit.
The attorneys say they want to know why the boy was placed in a room with someone with that history.
James said his firm has handled dozens of similar cases at residential facilities across Alabama. He called the problem an epidemic .
The attorney says taxpayers pay at least $400 to $800 per day, per child, at facilities contracted with the state.
“These places are making millions and millions of dollars off the taxpayers’ backs of Alabama. And instead of these kids getting help, they’re getting abused… They don’t get treated right… They don’t get fed right… They get treated worse than animals. These places are scary places,” James said.
The plan is to look into who was in charge of staffing, supervision, and placing the boy in a room with the 16-year-old.
“Our goal in these cases is to shine a light as to what’s going on in these facilities, to get accountability, and if necessary, hit them in the pocketbook so they will change their ways,” James said.
James says his clients want answers, justice for their son, and accountability so this does not happen to another child.
WSFA contacted the Lee County Youth Development Center Wednesday to attempt to get in touch with Kenneth Burton, president of the Lee County Youth Development Center board, for comment. Burton was not in the office.
The family is asking for compensatory and punitive damages and a jury trial.
James said he and Knowles worked with Sen. Barfoot, the sponsor, and Paris Hilton’s organization on a bill last session, Alabama Senate Bill 366 . The bill would require facilities to report incidents and would add oversight and accountability.
SB 366 got out of the Judiciary Committee, but time ran out. Lawmakers plan to bring it back next session, according to James.
The Lee County Youth Development Center was founded in 1973. It is a private nonprofit youth and family services agency.
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