August 28, 2025

Powerful testimony on Day 2 of our class-action hearing

To Our Clients—

We had another day of testimony in the second hearing of our class-action lawsuit against the state. The Nixon/Rilee team made a strong case before Judge Daniel St. Hilaire on the harm caused by the state’s changes to the YDC Settlement Fund, which jeopardize the fair and impartial process you were initially promised when you opted into the fund. The judge also heard from several key witnesses who demonstrated this harm:

• Dr. Dylan Gee—a Yale psychologist and expert on trauma—explained how the state’s change of terms retraumatizes victims by betraying their trust once again
• A victim discussed the personal betrayal he felt because of these changes. This witness had already received an offer through the Settlement Fund and planned to accept it. But the new rules allow the attorney general to veto awards, which means his settlement could be threatened. 

Today’s hearing followed equally effective testimony from former administrator John Broderick and two additional victims, during last week’s initial hearing. We have now concluded our legal argument and must wait for the judge to render a decision in his own time. We do not know when we’ll receive that decision, as the judge is not bound to any specific deadline. 

However, in the meantime, rest assured we continue to make our case in the court of public opinion and advocate on your behalf. As we mentioned in our last message, no matter what the court ends up determining in this case, we believe we are sending a powerful message and keeping the pressure on the state to do what is right.

We will keep you posted as this case progresses. As always, be sure to check Case Status regularly for updates. You can also call the main Nixon Peabody phone number (603-628-4060) and ask to be connected to the YDC Client Update line to listen to a recorded update.

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