Muskegon River Youth Home Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
The Muskegon River Youth Home is a youth residential treatment facility in Evart, Michigan. Operated by Youth Opportunity Investments, the youth center is a secure facility that provides residential short-term care for males ages 10 through 17 with behavioral support needs.
In recent years, at least one lawsuit has been filed against the facility over allegations of sexual abuse of minor residents by staff. In addition, one former staff member has been convicted on sexual abuse charges.
Experiencing sexual abuse as a minor can be deeply traumatizing, and survivors deserve to understand their rights and options for pursuing justice. Across Michigan, victims of sexual abuse at residential treatment centers, schools, and juvenile detention centers are coming forward to take legal action against the people and institutions that failed to protect them, including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
Helping Survivors can connect you with an attorney if you may have a case. While we cannot report a crime on your behalf, your safety is important. Please contact your local authorities for further assistance.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- Muskegon River Youth Home, now the Osceola Youth Center, is a Michigan youth residential treatment facility that has faced multiple legal actions in recent years regarding alleged sexual abuse of minor residents by staff.
- Statewide, former residents and detainees of various treatment centers, juvenile detention facilities, and schools are coming forward to seek justice and compensation for abuse they endured as youth at these facilities.
- If you or a loved one has experienced sexual abuse at the Muskegon River Youth Home, you have legal rights and options for holding the responsible parties accountable. Contact Helping Survivors to learn more.
Allegations of Sexual Abuse and Misconduct at Muskegon River Youth Home
Though Muskegon River Youth Home, now known as the Osceola Youth Center, has faced legal action as recently as April 2025 regarding alleged physical and sexual abuse toward minor residents, the facility has a history of similar accusations, as do multiple similar facilities across Michigan.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into conditions at residential treatment facilities in the state. The investigation found systemic sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as well as unsafe conditions, inhumane confinement practices, and neglect. These conditions resulted from systemic failures, cover-ups, and a culture of silence.
Lawsuits Against Muskegon River Youth Home
In April 2025, a former resident at the Muskegon River Youth Home filed a lawsuit against the operators of the youth center, alleging that staff at the juvenile detention facility physically and sexually abused him. Jermichael Brown Jr. alleges he was placed at the home in 2019 when he was 15, and staff routinely slammed his head into floors, furniture, and more, threatening him if he ever disclosed the abuse. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges a female staff member ordered him to perform sexual acts while she watched and touched him.
The facility is run by Youth Opportunity Investments, an Indiana-based company that operates residential treatment facilities in four states. In addition to naming YOI as a defendant, Brown named the Mecosta-Osceola Intermediate School District, which provided educational services at the facility, accusing the district of violating state and federal sex discrimination protections.
Another lawsuit was filed in 2022 against The Muskegon River Youth Home over the use of excessive force. That case was settled out of court.
Criminal Conviction
In 2021, a former Muskegon River Youth Home employee confessed to sexually assaulting a minor at the facility in 2020. Alisha S. Overton, 42, was initially charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from a March 2020 incident. At the time of the offense, Overton was employed at the Muskegon River Youth Home.
As part of a plea deal, Overton pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. She admitted in court that she sexually assaulted a 16-year-old who was staying at the facility.
Rights and Legal Options for Survivors of Abuse at Muskegon River Youth Home
There are likely more survivors of abuse at the Muskegon River Youth Home who have not yet come forward about their experiences. Speaking out about injustice can feel overwhelming and frightening, but your voice deserves to be heard.
In Michigan, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have the legal right to report the abuse to law enforcement and file a civil lawsuit against the individuals and institutions that perpetrated and enabled the abuse.
Report Abuse
Survivors of sexual abuse at Muskegon River Youth Home have the right to report to law enforcement, such as the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect in Michigan can make a report to the state Department of Health and Human Services online or by calling 855-444-3911. Reporting abuse to law enforcement can trigger an investigation that may result in criminal charges against the perpetrator.
Additionally, survivors can contact RAINN at 800-656-HOPE for mental health support and other resources.
File a Civil Lawsuit Against Muskegon River Youth Home
Taking legal action against the perpetrators and enablers of your abuse not only holds those parties accountable for their actions but also allows survivors to recover monetary compensation. In a child sexual abuse lawsuit, defendants may include individual abusers like staff members, facility operators like Youth Opportunity Investment, and state or local government entities if their failure to supervise contributed to the abuse.
Do I Have a Case?
If you experienced sexual abuse by staff at Muskegon River Youth Home as a minor resident, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit against the center and its oversight agencies.
Under Michigan law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse now have until their 28th birthday to sue for damages, or three years after discovering injuries caused by criminal sexual conduct, whichever occurs later. Survivors may be able to file a civil lawsuit even if no criminal charges were filed against the perpetrator of their abuse.
How a Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help
If you decide to take legal action against a residential youth treatment center like the Muskegon River Youth Home, you need an experienced sexual abuse attorney to represent you. An attorney can investigate, gather evidence, negotiate a settlement, and litigate your case.
Helping Survivors stands with those impacted by sexual abuse at Muskegon River Youth Home. We can connect survivors with experienced lawyers who handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront costs and they only get paid if they recover compensation for you.
How Helping Survivors Supports Victims
At Helping Survivors, we’re on a mission to help heal, educate, and empower survivors of sexual assault and abuse. We work to inform survivors of their rights, provide them with resources for support, and connect them with our partner law firms.
The lawyers we work with have years of experience handling sexual abuse cases and filing civil lawsuits on behalf of survivors against the individuals, institutions, and organizations that allowed harm to occur. Additionally, our legal partners charge no upfront costs for sexual abuse cases.
To learn more about your rights and legal options, contact Helping Survivors today.
Samuel Meirowitz
The reason we decided to work with Helping Survivors is that it’s an amazing organization that helps people who need it the most. Our firm is dedicated to helping the injured, the vulnerable, and Helping Survivors helps the most vulnerable people who have gone through sex abuse in their lives, and having a team of people that have the resources that care, and that give the support that these people need at a time when they need it the most
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