January 22, 2026

YDC Task Force to resume investigations; more Settlement Fund money proposed

To our clients—

The new year is off to a fast start, and we have more news to share with you! We know there have been a lot of messages lately, but we take seriously our responsibility to keep you informed.

YDC Task Force to resume investigations

We received some promising news this week. Lead prosecutor Audriana Mekula said the Joint YDC Task Force is resuming its work and looking seriously into prosecuting additional allegations of abuse.

As you may know, in 2020 the Attorney General’s Office and the New Hampshire State Police created the Task Force in order to investigate abuse at the Youth Development Center and other state-run facilities. The Task Force got off to a good start by indicting 11 former state employees, but investigations stalled under Attorney General John Formella and there have been no new indictments since 2022.

Like you, we are frustrated by the lack of activity in recent years, and we are pleased to learn the Task Force may be ramping up once again.

As a part of this renewed effort, we have been told that investigators are reaching out to people who previously called in to report their abuse at the hands of YDC staff members. If you receive a call from an investigator with the Task Force, we encourage you to cooperate by speaking with investigators to report your experiences. If you have not yet made a report to the Task Force but want to do so, you can call the Task Force hotline at 603-271-4000.

If you feel more comfortable speaking to an investigator with the support of an attorney or victim specialist, please reach out to us. We will support you through the interview process.

Separately, the Attorney General’s Office and Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) are conducting employment investigations into current state employees who are alleged to have abused children at YDC and other state-run facilities. They have reached out to us to request interviews with some of you regarding your interactions with those employees. If the Attorney General’s Office or DCYF would like to speak with you, we will reach out to you separately to set up a time to talk about that request.

Settlement Fund legislation

The New Hampshire legislature began its 2026 session on January 7, and there is a lot going on at the State House as lawmakers examine potential new laws or amendments. Last week, Senator Cindy Rosenwald presented legislation (also known as a “bill”) to the Senate Finance Committee that would put additional money into the YDC Settlement Fund. This is an important step, because without new funds, the Settlement Fund cannot operate.

Senator Rosenwald’s bill is a sign that some state lawmakers understand the importance of the Settlement Fund. In addition to that bill, a group of state senators and representatives have introduced another bill that would reverse the changes that were made to the Settlement Fund last year and restore the neutrality and independence of the administrator. While we are hopeful for a legislative fix to this issue, we will continue to fight those changes in court for as long as it takes.

Please let us know of any important updates

As always, please be sure that you are keeping us up to date on all changes to your contact information and any other important updates such as significant life events (like marriages or divorces), medical issues, or health concerns. Those developments may affect your case, so it is important for us to know about them.

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Thank you for the trust you have placed in us. Be sure to check Case Status regularly for updates.

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