Lawsuit alleges sexual abuse at Everett juvenile detention facility

Lauren Girgis, The Seattle Times on Nov 10, 2025

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Eight people allege they were sexually abused as children while detained in Snohomish County during the 1990s and early 2000s, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Snohomish County, alleges the government breached its duties and was negligent regarding claimed abuse in the Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett, formerly known as the Denney Youth Center.

Lawyers for the eight plaintiffs claim Snohomish County employees demonstrated a willful disregard" for the children in their care. The youngest victim, the lawsuit alleges, was 10 at the time they were abused.

The lawsuit alleges Snohomish County authorized staff to conduct invasive strip searches, monitor children while they showered, and have unsupervised one-on-one time with children. Lawyers claim the Denney center did not adequately implement standards of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act.

One of the children allegedly reported being abused to his probation officer, but "Snohomish County took no further action," the lawsuit claims. One of the plaintiffs alleges she was violently raped by two correctional officers when she was 17. The lawsuit states the officers threatened to kill the girl if she said anything and placed her in solitary confinement, according to the complaint. Another plaintiff alleges she was assaulted by five correctional officers over three days, according to the lawsuit.

Bridget Casey, a spokesperson for the Snohomish County prosecutor's office, said in a statement the county was "reviewing the allegations and will respond in court at the appropriate time.

Payouts in cases of alleged abuse at juvenile detention facilities and foster care homes have risen in the last year. In general, lawsuit payouts by the state of Washington spiked to a new high of more than $506 million in the last fiscal year, driven largely by claims of abuse alleged over decades, like the Snohomish County complaint.

The state's largest juvenile detention center, Green Hill School in Chehalis, has also been the subject of lawsuits. Last year, a guard was charged with custodial sexual misconduct and became the subject of a separate lawsuit.