Juvenile Detention and Residential Facility Abuse Lawyer in Ohio
A young person in a detention center or a residential facility cannot leave and depends on the adults in charge. When staff abuse that power, or a facility lets abuse happen, Ohio law lets survivors bring a civil claim, including adults abused in custody years ago. Andy Goldwasser represents survivors across Ohio.
What you share stays confidential, and the consultation is free.
Top 50 Cleveland and Top 100 Ohio Super Lawyer since 2016. Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Plaintiff, since 2023.
Sexual Abuse of Young People Held in Custody or Placement
Juvenile detention and residential facility abuse is the sexual abuse of a young person while they were held in a juvenile detention center or a state youth facility, or while they lived in a group home or other residential facility where a court, a county agency, or a parent placed them. The abuse may come from staff, from other adults with access to the facility, or from other residents the staff were supposed to supervise.
Ohio law recognizes how much power staff hold over a young person in custody. Under Ohio's sexual battery statute, ORC 2907.03, it is a crime for an employee of a detention facility to engage in sexual conduct with a person held there, and for an adult with authority over someone in custody or in an institution to do the same.
A civil claim is separate from any criminal case. Prosecutors decide whether to charge the person who committed the abuse. The civil claim belongs to the survivor, and it can reach the county, the state, or the private company that ran the facility, along with the person who committed the abuse. For abuse in schools, churches, workplaces, and other organizations, see our page on institutional sexual abuse.
A young person in a locked facility usually has no parent nearby, and the adult abusing them may be the one who controls their privileges and discipline. Many survivors first speak about the abuse years later. Among survivors of child sexual abuse who do disclose, research summarized by CHILD USA puts the average delay at about 20 years. Because of that delay, it is worth learning Ohio's filing deadlines early.
Settings and Situations That Can Support a Claim
Abuse in custody happens wherever a young person is held or placed, and the person responsible is not always on staff. What these cases share is an institution that had a young person in its charge and failed to keep them safe.
Juvenile Detention Center Staff
A detention officer, youth worker, or other employee sexually abused a young person held in a juvenile detention center.
Group Home and Residential Facility Staff
Staff at a group home or residential facility abused a resident placed there by a court, a county agency, or a parent.
Ohio Department of Youth Services Facilities
A young person was abused while in the custody of the Ohio Department of Youth Services and held in one of its facilities.
Abuse by Another Resident
Staff failed to supervise residents, keep them apart, or act on warnings that one resident was a danger to others.
Night Shifts, Transports, and Isolation
A staff member used time alone with a young person, on a night shift, during a transport, or in room confinement, to abuse them.
Privileges Traded for Sexual Contact
Staff offered privileges, phone calls, or better treatment in exchange for sexual contact, or threatened discipline to force it.
Reports That Were Ignored
The abuse went on, or another young person was harmed, after a complaint was dismissed, discouraged, or never passed on to the authorities.
Residents With a Disability
For a survivor with a developmental disability or physical impairment, Ohio's civil deadline law treats abuse before age 21 as childhood abuse.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Abuse in Custody
Who a claim can reach depends on who ran the facility and who placed the young person there. A detention center run by a county, a facility run by the state, and a group home run by a private company each answer to different rules, and those rules decide where the case is filed, how long the survivor has, and what can be recovered.
A claim against the institution looks at how the abuse was allowed to happen. A facility hires staff without proper screening. A night shift runs with one adult and no one checking. A young person's complaint goes to the same staff member it accuses. A resident known to have abused others is housed with younger residents. Staff who see warning signs say nothing.
Ohio gives survivors several legal claims. Against the person who committed the abuse, a survivor can bring a claim for assault and battery, or a claim under Ohio Revised Code 2307.60, which lets anyone injured by a criminal act recover damages in a civil action. Against the facility, its operator, and the agencies responsible for the young person, the main claims are negligence and negligent hiring and supervision. When the abuse involved a school, a Title IX claim may also apply.
The Person Who Committed the Abuse
The staff member or other adult can be sued directly. Ohio's immunity for public employees does not cover conduct outside the job or done with malicious purpose.
Private Facility and Group Home Operators
Companies and nonprofits that run residential facilities are responsible for hiring, training, staffing, and supervision, and for protecting residents from staff and from each other.
Counties That Run Detention Centers
A county is a local public body under Ohio law, with immunity from many claims and exceptions written into the statute. These claims need early legal review.
Agencies That Chose the Placement
A county children services agency that placed a young person in a facility can be responsible when it ignored warning signs or failed to act on reports.
The State of Ohio
Claims for abuse in a Department of Youth Services facility are brought against the state, in the Ohio Court of Claims.
Adults Who Failed to Report
Ohio requires many adults who work with children to report suspected abuse immediately. A person who fails to report can be liable to the child for the harm that followed.
What to Do if You or Your Child Was Abused in Custody
Whether you are an adult who was abused in a facility years ago, or a parent whose child is in detention or a placement now, these steps protect the young person and keep legal options open. Every decision about reporting and legal action is yours.
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Step 1: Make Sure the Young Person Is Safe Now
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. If your child is still in the facility and the abuse is recent or ongoing, report it to the police and to the county children services agency, and ask what will be done to keep your child safe. Write down who you spoke with, when, and any report number they give you. Our victim resources page lists Ohio hotlines and support organizations.
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Step 2: Write Down Where You Were Held and When
These cases depend on who had custody of the young person at the time. List each facility, the approximate dates, the unit or house, and the names or descriptions of the staff involved. Note whether a juvenile court, a county agency, or a parent arranged the placement. Rough dates are enough to start, and your attorney can request facility and court records to fill in the rest.
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Step 3: Keep Records of What Happened and Who Knew
Save letters, messages, photos, papers from the juvenile court case, and copies of any complaint or grievance filed inside the facility. Write down everyone you told, whether a staff member, caseworker, teacher, or family member, and what they did about it. Proof that someone knew and did nothing is often central to a claim against a facility.
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Step 4: Get Support From People Trained to Help
Writing down what happened in a facility can bring back memories you have kept away for years. The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and similar organizations support survivors of sexual violence, whether or not they take legal action.
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Step 5: Talk to a Civil Attorney About Your Deadlines
Claims against a county, the state, and a private operator can have different deadlines. A free, confidential consultation tells you which deadlines apply to you, who may be responsible, and whether a claim is possible.
What a Claim for Abuse in Custody Can Recover
A civil claim seeks compensation for the harm the abuse caused, both what a survivor has already lost and what lies ahead. What a case is worth depends on its facts and on who the defendant is. Our page on sexual abuse lawsuit damages explains each category in more detail.
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Counseling and Recovery Costs
The cost of counseling and other support a survivor has needed since the abuse, and the support they are likely to need in the years ahead.
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Lost Income and Earning Capacity
Wages lost to the effects of the abuse, and future income lost when the harm disrupted a survivor's schooling, job training, or ability to hold steady work.
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Pain and Suffering
Compensation for emotional distress, anxiety, and loss of enjoyment of life. Ohio caps this type of damages in claims against counties and other local public bodies.
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Punitive Damages
Damages meant to punish and deter, available in some cases against an individual or a private operator. Ohio law does not allow them against counties and other local public bodies.
What Happens After You Contact Our Office
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A Free, Confidential First Conversation
Call or reach out through the website. The first conversation costs nothing, stays confidential, and does not commit you to anything. You can talk by phone, by video, or in person, and you share only what you are ready to share.
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Andy Goldwasser Reviews Your Case
Andy personally evaluates every potential case. He looks at what happened, who ran the facility, who placed you there, and which deadlines apply, and he determines the strongest legal path forward.
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The Firm Investigates
The firm gathers facility and court records, identifies every institution that shared responsibility, and documents where supervision and reporting failed. It has the resources to take on counties, the state, and private operators.
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Pursuing Accountability
Through negotiation, mediation, or trial, the firm pursues full accountability and fair compensation for what you endured. You have direct access to Andy throughout the case.
Ohio Deadlines for Claims of Abuse in Custody
For sexual abuse of a minor, ORC 2305.111 gives survivors 12 years from their 18th birthday to file a civil claim, which means until age 30. Sexual battery is one of the offenses that always counts as childhood sexual abuse under this law, so abuse by a detention facility employee of a resident under 18 falls within it. Ohio courts have applied the 12-year period to claims against institutions, not only against the person who committed the abuse.
The same deadline applies to claims against the state. In Watkins v. Ohio Department of Youth Services (2015), the Ohio Supreme Court held that the 12-year period controls over the two-year limit that normally applies in the Court of Claims. As Justice Paul Pfeifer wrote, "the General Assembly allows for no distinction between public and private tortfeasors."
Claims against a county work differently. Ohio's law on local public bodies sets a two-year limit for claims against them, extended while the survivor is a minor, and Ohio courts have not settled how that limit fits with the 12-year rule. If a county-run detention center or a county agency may be responsible, it is wise to act well before age 30, and ideally before age 20.
Ohio pauses the deadline in one situation. If a defendant fraudulently concealed facts that a claim depends on, and the abuse happened on or after August 3, 2006, the deadline does not run until the survivor discovers, or reasonably should have discovered, those facts. A survivor simply not realizing the harm until later does not by itself pause the deadline.
Claims that expired before the 12-year rule took effect on August 3, 2006 stay expired, because Ohio has no lookback window that revives them. In fall 2026, Ohio lawmakers announced plans for a bill that would remove the civil deadline for childhood sexual abuse and open a window for older claims. It has not become law, so today's deadlines still apply. Federal law sets no time limit for some claims based on federal sexual exploitation and trafficking offenses against minors.
Acting sooner also helps the case itself. Facility records, staffing schedules, and former staff are easier to find while events are recent.
Free Consultation, No Fee Unless We Recover
Cost and fear should not keep a survivor from finding out whether they have a case. Ciano & Goldwasser handles these cases on a contingency basis, so you pay nothing to start, and the firm covers the costs of investigating and pursuing the claim. The fee arrangement is explained privately during your consultation.
No upfront costs: Nothing to pay to have your case reviewed or to start a claim.
No Fee Guarantee: You owe no attorney fee unless the firm recovers compensation for you.
Confidential, with no obligation: What you share stays private, and you decide what happens next.
Andy Goldwasser and His Work for Survivors
Andy Goldwasser is a personal injury attorney with a focus on sex abuse cases and more than 25 years of practice. Attorneys, judges, and former clients refer complex abuse cases to him. His involvement in the survivor community gives him deep institutional knowledge and a network of resources for survivors, and Quenna Bell has supported his clients for about 20 years.
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center Board of Directors
Andy serves on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and chairs its governance committee.
Co-Founder of a Nonprofit for Abused Children
Andy co-founded a nonprofit for abused children and leads a private foundation that funds grants for children and families from a portion of his fees.
Quenna Bell, CRCC Certified Ambassador
Quenna completed the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center's Ambassador training in supporting survivors of sexual violence, so survivors speak with someone trained to help from the first call.
National Crime Victim Bar Association
Andy is a member of the NCVBA, an organization of attorneys who represent victims of crime, including survivors of sexual abuse.
American Board of Trial Advocacy
Recently inducted into ABOTA, a national association of trial lawyers whose membership takes trial experience and peer nomination.
State and Federal Court Admissions
Andy's court admissions: All Courts in Ohio, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, U.S. Supreme Court.
Questions About Abuse in Detention and Residential Facilities
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Possibly. Most survivors of sexual abuse before age 18 have until age 30 to file in Ohio, including claims against the state, and fraudulent concealment or certain federal offenses can extend that. Claims that expired before August 3, 2006 have not been revived. The answer depends on your dates and on who ran the facility, so a consultation is the fastest way to know.
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The deadlines are much shorter. An adult survivor generally has one year to bring an assault and battery claim in Ohio, and a bill that would extend it has not become law. A survivor with a developmental disability or physical impairment who was abused before 21 keeps the 12-year childhood abuse deadline. If you were 18 or older, talk to an attorney as soon as you can.
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Sometimes. Counties are local public bodies, and Ohio law gives them immunity from many lawsuits, with exceptions written into the law. One exception applies when another Ohio statute expressly imposes liability, and Ohio courts have applied it to public bodies whose employees failed to report suspected child abuse as Ohio's reporting law requires. Claims against a county also face a shorter deadline question and limits on damages, so they need careful, early review.
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You can still have a claim. Ohio's sexual battery law depends on the adult's position over the young person, not on whether the young person agreed. Offering privileges or threatening discipline to get sexual contact is part of the abuse.
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No. The Ohio Supreme Court has held that a claim under Ohio Revised Code 2307.60 does not require a criminal conviction, and Ohio's definition of childhood sexual abuse for civil deadlines does not require one either.
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A claim can still exist, and it usually focuses on the facility rather than the other young person. The questions are whether staff knew or should have known about the risk, whether they separated residents or added supervision, and whether they acted on complaints.
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Your consultation is confidential, and nothing is filed without your decision. Some survivors file civil cases under a pseudonym such as "Doe" when the court allows it. Andy can explain how privacy works in your case before you decide anything.
Other Types of Sexual Abuse Cases We Handle
If your situation does not fit a detention center or residential facility, one of these pages may fit it better. Every type of case the firm handles is on our case types page.
Civil claims for survivors abused before age 18, including adults coming forward about abuse in childhood.
Abuse that schools, churches, employers, and other organizations allowed through careless hiring, weak supervision, or a cover-up.
Civil claims for survivors who were sexually assaulted as adults, whether or not the attacker faced criminal charges.
Claims against traffickers and the businesses that profit from or enable sex trafficking in Ohio.
Abuse by teachers and school staff, and claims against school districts that failed to act.
Mentors, Chaperones, and Youth Leaders
Abuse by adults trusted to supervise young people in programs, trips, and youth activities.
Talk to Andy Goldwasser About Abuse in Custody
Whether the abuse happened last month or when you were a teenager decades ago, a free consultation with Andy Goldwasser can tell you whether you have a claim and how much time you have. The conversation is confidential, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers compensation.