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Another suit has been filed against Snohomish County alleging sexual abuse of minors incarcerated at the Denney Youth Center or Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett, bringing the number of plaintiffs to 21.
A new complaint was filed July 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Snohomish County, which owns the detention centers, according to a press release from the Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman. Up to 20 unnamed individuals were allegedly responsible for the abuse of children as young as 12 years old, the press release states. The nine additional accounts span 30 years of abuse, from 1982 to 2012.
Thursday’s claim follows a lawsuit from late 2025 filed against the County by 12 plaintiffs who allegedly experienced decades of sexual abuse from staff at the centers. Additionally, Hagens Berman also represents former Denney employees in an ongoing lawsuit against the County for allegedly retaliating against employees for reporting sexual harassment.
“Snohomish County employed numerous sexual predators in roles that gave them near-absolute power over some of the most vulnerable people imaginable: child prisoners,” the complaint said. “At all times, Snohomish County was fully aware of the danger that sexual abuse by staff posed to the children in its care. Nevertheless, Snohomish County failed to implement a variety of popular and statutorily mandated policies and procedures that would have protected these children from such abuse and a lifetime of subsequent pain.”
The lawsuit alleges Snohomish County’s policies and practices played a direct role in the culture of abuse at the centers. The allegations include a failure to enforce the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, permitting strip and cavity searches, and allowing staff to access plaintiffs in the showers and other “blind spots” in the facilities.
“Not only did Snohomish County fail to protect these children under its care, but the County’s very policies, practices and customs placed our clients and other detained youth at greater risk of sexual assault,” said Jacob Berman, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in this case. “We believe the County has been negligent and actively harmful to these children.”
The complaint also claims the County failed to adequately train and supervise staff and educate children in the centers on how to report misconduct.
“The County did not create or operate any legitimate or safe procedures for the children in its care to report sexual abuse and misconduct,” the lawsuit reads. “It offered Plaintiffs no assurance that reporting would not result in retaliation, which staff commonly threatened.”
In a statement to My Neighborhood News Group Friday afternoon, County Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Bridget Casey said: “The County is currently reviewing the complaint and will respond in court.”
— Contact Ashley at [email protected].
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