April 10, 2026

New settlement fund claims administrator and more YDC updates

To our clients—

We have several important updates to share on the settlement fund, the Supreme Court appeal, and developments in the legislature.

Administrator Boyle begins his role

Judge Gerard Boyle is now in his new role as the claims administrator for the YDC settlement fund. We are glad to have him in place and look forward to working with him.

As you may know, no new resolution proceedings have been scheduled yet. We expect Administrator Boyle will need some time to get up to speed before those can begin. We intend to speak with him soon about ways to move the process forward as quickly as possible. We will be in touch when the Administrator’s Office provides a timeline for the resumption of resolution proceedings.

Brief filed at the New Hampshire Supreme Court

Last week, our legal team filed an opening brief at the New Hampshire Supreme Court in our class-action appeal challenging two changes the state made to the settlement fund in 2025. These changes gave the governor the power to appoint and remove the fund administrator, and gave the attorney general veto power over any award.

Our appeal is about the state failing to uphold its promise. You were told your claims would be decided by a truly independent, neutral administrator—someone whose decisions were final. That promise is what convinced nearly 2,000 survivors to come forward and file claims. Then, one day after the deadline to file a settlement fund claim, the state changed the rules and gave itself control over the outcome.

We are asking the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court’s decision, reinstate our claims, and block both challenged changes while the case moves forward. A win here would restore the fair, independent process every one of you was promised.

Attorney Daniel Deane spoke with WMUR about the brief—you can read more here.

SB 481: Where does the building sale money go?

You may have seen news about SB 481, a bill in the legislature addressing what will happen to the proceeds from the state’s eventual sale of  the Sununu Youth Services Center property in Manchester. The original budget directed those sale proceeds, estimated at up to $80 million, directly to the settlement fund to compensate survivors. This is important because the settlement fund is already operating in the negative, meaning the money committed to survivors whose claims have already been decided exceeds what is currently in the fund. The building sale proceeds were supposed to help close that gap.

Instead, the House Finance Committee voted 13–11 along party lines to send that money to the state's general fund. Some legislators argued that it doesn't matter where the money goes because the state will pay survivors either way. We want to be honest with you: That is not the same thing. Directing sale proceeds to the general fund means the administrator would have to go back and request the money through an additional approval process, creating more delays and more uncertainty for you.

We understand how deeply disappointing this is. The Finance Committee’s vote was not final; the bill now moves to the full House. We are continuing to fight for those proceeds to go where they belong. We will keep you updated as this develops.

The YDC subcommittee and the call for an independent prosecutor

Following the Office of the Child Advocate’s recent reports of ongoing abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center, the legislature has formed a subcommittee to investigate. We recently published an op-ed in the Union Leader explaining why that investigation must be led by an independent prosecutor, not the Attorney General's Office, which has a fundamental conflict of interest. The attorney general's job is to protect the state from liability, which means he cannot be trusted to investigate the very abuse that creates that liability.

You can read the full op-ed here.

Thank You

We are watching every front—the Supreme Court, the legislature, and the settlement fund—and we remain committed to fighting for full accountability and fair compensation for each of you.

The best way to reach us is through the CaseStatus app. You can also call our YDC hotline at 603.628.4060 and ask to speak with a victim specialist. If you are incarcerated, please make sure 603.628.4060 is on your approved legal contact list.

[Return to home screen]

Thank you,