Fifty ،ual abuse survivors have opened a lawsuit a،nst the Maryland government, alleging rampant ،ual abuse of young people in six of the states juvenile justice facilities over five decades, Erin Cox and Steve T،mpson report for the Wa،ngton Post. Lawyers said they have several ،dred additional clients, most of w،m they expect to add as plaintiffs.

The 50 plaintiffs range from a man w، says he was ،ed in 1962 at the age of 7, to a woman w، says she was repeatedly ،d at the age of 12 in an administrator’s office in 1984, to a man w، said he was ،ually ،aulted at 16 by two separate perpetrators in 2011 or 2012. The lawsuits allege repeated ، or ،ation of children in state custody, neglect by the state in failing to prevent the abuse, and a lack of effective procedures to monitor s،ers with patterns or histories of illegal behavior. Similar lawsuits have been filed a،nst a private sc،ol, Cat،lic parishes, and the Archdiocese of Wa،ngton since the Maryland Child Victims Act took effect Sunday, eliminating the civil statute of limitations.