Lawsuits Filed Against Washington Counties for Decades of Child Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Detention

By Furhad Sultani
Associate

SEATTLE, WA — Stritmatter Law has filed two separate civil lawsuits against Benton-Franklin County and Grays Harbor County on behalf of nine survivors who were allegedly sexually abused as minors while detained in county-operated juvenile detention facilities. The plaintiffs—now adults—allege that detention officers used their positions of authority to groom, coerce, and sexually abuse children as young as twelve, and that county officials ignored repeated warning signs over the course of more than a decade.

The lawsuits allege that in both facilities, detention officers exploited routine institutional procedures—strip searches, laundry duty, shower time, and overnight cell checks—to isolate and abuse minors who had no meaningful ability to resist, report, or escape. In Benton-Franklin County, the alleged sexual abuse spans from approximately 1984 through 1995. In Grays Harbor County, the alleged sexual abuse occurred between 1995 and 2005. In both cases, the counties are alleged to have had actual notice of misconduct and failed to act.

“These children were placed behind locked doors by court order, with nowhere else to go and no one to turn to,” said attorney Furhad Sultani of Stritmatter Law. “The counties were required to keep their wards safe. Instead, predators were employed, warning signs ignored, and  vulnerable kids had no safe way to ask for help. The survivors who have come forward deserve accountability.”

The lawsuits allege vicarious liability, direct negligence in hiring and supervision, failure to report suspected abuse under Washington’s mandatory reporting laws, and negligent investigation. The plaintiffs are seeking general and special damages to be proven at trial.

About Stritmatter Law Stritmatter Law is a nationally recognized law firm based in Seattle, Hoquiam, and Spokane, Washington. With a team of 18 dedicated attorneys, the firm prides itself on representing victims of wrongful death, serious personal injuries, and civil rights violations.

Grays Harbor County Complaint

Benton-Franklin County Complaint

About the Author

My dad was an immigrant from Afghanistan. He had been a member of the “freedom fighters” when the Soviets invaded, and after the collapse, he made a home for himself in Seattle. He became a glassblower and traveled back to Afghanistan as a translator with the coalition forces after 9/11. My mom grew up in Central Washington. She was the daughter of migrant farmers from Mexico. She moved to Seattle in her early 20’s and worked in childcare and then housekeeping and is now a part of the janitorial staff at the University of Washington. They met and eventually married here in Seattle and stayed, raising my two younger siblings and me.