A former resident of the Mary Davis Juvenile Detention Home in Galesburg is seeking damages over alleged sexual abuse at the facility.
A lawsuit filed June 7 in Knox County claims Jane Doe was 14 years old in 2012 when she was detained at the Mary Davis Home.
She alleges an employee targeted, manipulated, and isolated her; and initiated non-consensual sexual contact at least six times in the day room of the facility, which is one of 16 county juvenile detention centers in Illinois.
The lawsuit claims the employee reached under a table in the day room, put his hands under Doe’s clothing and underwear, and touched her genitals.
Doe, who is represented by Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman LLC, is suing Knox County and the Mary Davis Home. She is seeking a judgment in excess of $50,000, according to court records.
In the complaint, Doe said she has suffered psychological injury and severe emotional distress as a result of the abuse that happened while the facility was responsible for her care and well-being.
IFMK Law Ltd. is representing Knox County in the lawsuit. On Aug. 21, the county’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying the county doesn’t operate or control the Mary Davis Home -- the state does.
The Mary Davis Home is affiliated with Knox County. It receives funding from the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts, the Illinois State Board of Education, Knox County, and from other counties that house youth there while awaiting sentencing or serving sentences.
But the county’s attorneys noted while Mary Davis Home employees are county employees, the state reimburses the county for their salaries.
Judge James Baber will hear the motion to dismiss on Sept. 9.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is representing the Mary Davis Home. Its attorneys filed a motion last week for a second extension of time to respond to the complaint until next month.
This lawsuit was filed days after the ACLU filed a federal class action lawsuit against Knox County, the Mary Davis Home, and the Ninth Judicial Circuit, citing harmful confinement policies.
Responses to the complaint in that case are due Sept. 6.
