Nearly 200 juveniles sexually abused at Cook County detention center: lawsuits

CHICAGO - A coalition of attorneys and survivors announced the filing of lawsuits on behalf of nearly 200 people who were allegedly sexually abused as children at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago.

The lawsuits, filed by Bailey & Glasser LLP and Levy Konigsberg LLP, involve 37 female and 156 male survivors who claim they suffered sexual abuse while confined at the facility, formerly known as the Arthur J. Audy Home. The alleged abuse occurred between 1995 and 2022, when the victims were between the ages of 9 and 17.

During the press conference, attorneys and survivors shared their experiences and highlighted the lasting physical, psychological, and emotional damage resulting from the abuse. The lawsuits were filed in both the Court of Claims of the State of Illinois and the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The accused perpetrators include male and female staff members of the detention center. This new wave of lawsuits adds to nearly 400 cases of alleged child sexual abuse in Illinois juvenile detention centers, with over 200 similar cases filed earlier this year related to state-operated Illinois Youth Centers, according to the attorneys.