Why the verdict in New Hampshire's trial over youth center abuse is being disputed
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — “Duped.” “Devastated.” “Sickened.” That’s how a jury foreperson felt after learning that the amount awarded in a landmark lawsuit over abuse at New Hampshire’s youth detention center could be slashed by nearly 99%.
A jury on Friday awarded $38 million to David Meehan, who alleged that the state’s negligence allowed him to be repeatedly raped, beaten and held in solitary confinement as a teenager at the Youth Development Center. But the attorney general’s office is seeking to reduce the award under a state law that allows claimants against the state to recover a maximum of $475,000 per “incident.”