The young man filed a federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County. He says he was sexually assaulted by staff while being housed in the Los Padrinos juvenile hall.
The allegations come just months after the county’s record settlement due to a previous sexual abuse claim at a juvenile facility decades ago.
Alejandro Gomez, the father of the young man, said his son’s wings had been severed and he was in pain as a father.
Gomez’s 19-year-old son, housed at Los Padrinos Boys Hall in Downey, filed a liver lawsuit, alleging he was a sexual assault while he was in the facility.
“Instead of helping my son, he is said to be sexually assaulted, so I feel bad about what happened,” Gomez said in Spanish.
The complaint states that a social worker who has been working for the LA County Mental Health Department since September 2024 and February of this year and was assigned to the Gomez case is “actively pursued and engaged in inappropriate sexual relations with him.”
Jamal Tucson, the family’s lawyer in the case, said there is an Instagram message shared between Gomez’s son and a staff member of the accused.
“Whenever there is an individual in a position of power, when that individual is directly linked to your freedom, your rehabilitation, your privilege, while you are there, there is no relationship,” Tuson said.
The lawsuits against Los Angeles County, the LA County Department of Probation and the LA County Mental Health Department have followed the county’s recent $4 billion settlement for victims of sexual abuse while in the county’s juvenile department decades ago.
“It’s as if they haven’t learned, they don’t care, or appropriate measures have been taken to protect children and individuals in Los Padrino,” Tucson added.
Los Padrinos has been experiencing a series of problems since 2023 when the boys halls in two other counties welcomed young people who had been closed.
As previously reported by NBC Los Angeles, the fight (some of which are said to have been launched or encouraged by staff) has continued since its reopening, due to alleged riots, drug smuggling and drug exposure.
Earlier this year, the state attorney general filed criminal charges against dozens of detention service officers in connection with what was described by the attorney general as a “gladiator style” fight.
“It’s difficult, but I want to move forward to show what’s going on in a facility that means rehabilitating young people,” Gomez said in Spanish.
In a joint statement, the county’s Mental Health Department and Probation Department emailed NBC Los Angeles:
“Los Angeles County is committed to taking all claims and complaints seriously and maintaining the highest standard of accountability for those working with youth. With ongoing investigations and legal procedures pending, we cannot provide further comment.”
The status of the staff mentioned in the lawsuit is unknown. The family’s lawyer said it appears she had been taken away from Los Padrino.
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