July 1, 2026

Kristy Gesse trial verdict update

To our clients—

The jury in Kristy Gesse's trial has reached its verdict, and it is a real victory for survivors.

The jury awarded Kristy $16 million in damages, finding that the state breached its duty to protect her in 106 separate incidents during her time at Saddleback Mountain Retreat. This is one of the largest personal injury verdicts in New Hampshire history.

The verdict

After two weeks of difficult, courageous testimony, the jury heard Kristy’s story and believed her. The jury found that the Department of Health and Human Services was negligent and breached its duty of care in placing Kristy at Saddleback. The verdict divides responsibility between the state and the operators of the facility.

We issued the following statement:

“Today's $16 million verdict, one of the largest personal injury verdicts in New Hampshire history, sends an unambiguous message that the State cannot place vulnerable children in the care of a known predator, suppress evidence of his abuse, and escape accountability. Kristy Gesse showed extraordinary courage in standing before the jury to share her traumatic experience, and the evidence proved that the State had every reason to act and chose not to for years. We hope this verdict brings her some measure of justice and serves as a warning to the State that it cannot look the other way when the most vulnerable people in its care are being hurt.”

As Kristy shared:

“After years of suffering in silence, this trial brought out the truth about what happened to me as a young girl. The State knew they were placing me in the care of a predator, and they chose to look the other way. They had a duty to protect me, and they abandoned it. Nothing can give me back what was lost, but knowing they are being held accountable feels like a heavy weight lifted. It took a long time to finally be heard, but that changed today. What happened to me should have never happened. And it should never happen to anyone ever again.”

What this means for you

A win for one client is a win for all clients. This verdict sends a message to both the State of New Hampshire and the facilities it sent children to: they have real, significant financial exposure if they choose to take these cases to trial. They now know they need to put real money on the table to settle. For those of you in the Settlement Fund, this means the state legislature must allocate sufficient money to fund fair settlements for all of you.

Each landmark verdict also makes it harder for anyone to deny the truth of your experiences.

What comes next

We are preparing for more contractor trials in Merrimack County in the first quarter of next year. We are also still awaiting a decision in the David Meehan appeal, after which we will proceed with trials in Rockingham County. For those who have chosen to go to trial, we are committed to continuing to push your cases forward.

The defendants should also know by now that we will leave no stone unturned. We have identified witnesses who can affirm survivors’ testimony about events that occurred 40 years ago. We will continue to fight for you, taking these cases all the way to trial and verdict.

We applaud Kristy’s bravery and we are encouraged by what this verdict means for the road ahead.

Thank you for your continued trust. 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 ensure 603-628-4060 is on your approved legal contact list.

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Thank you,