Daytop Village Sex Abuse Lawsuit
Daytop Village was an adolescent substance abuse treatment center in Mendham, New Jersey, that operated from 1992 to 2020, eventually closing due to funding cuts. The center has faced numerous accusations of sexual abuse by staff, and two former employees were charged with sex crimes in 2005 and 2016. Now, lawsuits are pouring in from dozens of former residents who say they experienced routine abuse as minors at the facility while the administration and oversight agencies failed to protect them.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- Daytop Village, a teen substance use disorder treatment facility in New Jersey, is facing dozens of accusations of sexual abuse by former residents, who filed lawsuits against the facility’s parent company and the state in early 2025.
- Though the facility closed in 2020, it operated for nearly 30 years, facing numerous sexual abuse allegations during that time, including the criminal convictions of two ex-staff members.
- If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse at Daytop Village, even if it occurred years ago, you’re not alone. Helping Survivors is here to help you understand your legal options and connect you with experienced sex abuse attorneys to achieve justice.
What Was Daytop Village?
For nearly 30 years, Daytop Village in Mendham, New Jersey, was considered one of the top adolescent substance abuse treatment centers in the state. The 70-bed facility opened in 1992 and was shuttered in May 2020.
Privately owned and operated by a nonprofit corporation, Daytop Village was one of seven such residential treatment centers in New Jersey, and the last of two long-term specialty adolescent substance abuse residential programs in the state. The state operated a referral program for court-mandated substance abuse treatment at the facility. The main reason for the facility’s closure was a loss of revenue, though the facility also had a history of sexual abuse allegations.
- What Was Daytop Village?
- Sexual Abuse Allegations at Daytop Village
- Lawsuits Filed Against Daytop Village
- Rights and Legal Options for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
- How a Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help
- How Helping Survivors Supports Abuse Victims
- Speak With a Lawyer About Daytop Village Sex Abuse Lawsuits
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
Sexual Abuse Allegations at Daytop Village
The lawsuits filed against Daytop and its affiliates in 2025 are not the first allegations of child sexual abuse and sexual assault to surface involving the Mendham center.
In 2016, a former art teacher at Daytop Village pleaded guilty to sexually touching a male resident and showing another resident naked photos on her phone. Donna D. Peirce-Faley was convicted of criminal sexual contact and child abuse for the incidents, which occurred in 2014 and involved two teen residents.
Similarly, in 2005, a former Roman Catholic priest was indicted on charges of sexual misconduct involving four male teenagers he counseled as a social worker at Daytop. Richard J. Mieliwocki was charged with three counts of child endangerment and five counts of criminal sexual conduct related to alleged sexual interaction with youths between the ages of 16 and 18 at Daytop in 2004. He pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse in 2007.
While these are the two most publicized cases of sexual abuse at Daytop Village, many other individuals may have been impacted by abuse at the facility. Helping Survivors is here to help them understand their legal rights and options.
Institutional Failures and Oversight Issues
New Jersey’s Human Services Department oversaw the referral program with adolescent treatment centers, like Daytop, until 2014, when the state placed it under the Department of Children and Families. This shift of oversight of adolescent addiction treatment significantly cut funding to facilities providing this type of care—a funding cut that may have contributed to the lack of oversight and supervision of staff at Daytop.
Lawsuits Filed Against Daytop Village
In March 2025, nearly two dozen former residents sued Daytop Village, its affiliates, its successor company, and the state of New Jersey, alleging widespread, routine sexual abuse by staff at four Daytop locations, including the Mendham campus.
The victims say they were as young as 14 years old when they experienced being groped, forced to perform sex acts, and raped by the staff who were responsible for their care. Some survivors say they were drugged before being abused, while others were threatened with removal from the substance abuse program if they did not comply.
Victims of alleged abuse by staff at the now-closed Daytop Village facility in Mendham assert that Daytop and New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families should’ve done more to protect them, and that their negligence and lack of supervision allowed the abuse to occur.
Rights and Legal Options for Survivors of Sexual Abuse
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse in New Jersey, you have rights and options for taking legal action in both civil and criminal court. Survivors of institutional abuse can always report the abuse to the authorities to begin a criminal investigation that may lead to state or federal prosecutors filing criminal charges against the perpetrator.
Impacted individuals also have another option: filing a civil lawsuit against the negligent institution that failed to protect them.
Through a civil sexual abuse lawsuit, survivors can recover damages for pain and suffering, medical bills, therapy costs, loss of enjoyment of life, and more. A successful civil suit can also hold institutions accountable for enabling abuse and give survivors a sense of justice and closure.
Understanding the Statute of Limitations in New Jersey
In 2019, New Jersey reformed its civil statutes of limitations for sexual abuse via the Child Sex Abuse Law. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse now have until their 55th birthday to file a lawsuit, and adult survivors of sexual assault have seven years from the assault to file.
New Jersey eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for most sex crimes in 1996, so it’s never too late to report abuse to police.
Aside from the police, you can report childhood sexual abuse in New Jersey to the state’s Department of Children and Families by calling the child abuse hotline at 1-877-NJ-ABUSE. When a report indicates that a child may be at risk, an investigator from the Division of Child Protection and Permanency will investigate within 24 hours. The DCF also has an Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit that investigates allegations of child abuse in institutions like juvenile detention centers and foster homes.
Prior to reporting, it’s highly recommended that you speak with an attorney who can help ensure your rights are protected throughout this process. Here at Helping Survivors, we can connect you with an experienced attorney who can provide a free consultation.
How a Sexual Abuse Attorney Can Help
When considering whether to take legal action after experiencing sexual abuse, you may feel overwhelmed by the legal process. It can be helpful to speak with an experienced, trauma-informed attorney who handles sexual abuse cases to fully understand your options. The law firms we work with offer confidential case evaluations and can guide you through the complexities of the legal process.
How Helping Survivors Supports Abuse Victims
At Helping Survivors, our mission is to help heal, educate, and empower people who have been impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We aim to help survivors understand their rights and options after experiencing sexual violence so they can make an informed decision on how to move forward.
Helping Survivors provides resources to inform abuse survivors of their reporting rights and options. We also connect them with our partner law firms and other nonprofit organizations that can provide assistance. An experienced attorney can assist them with filing a civil lawsuit against the abusers and the institutions that enabled the abuse to pursue compensation for their suffering and other losses.
Speak With a Lawyer About Daytop Village Sex Abuse Lawsuits
If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse by a staff member while residing at Daytop Village—even if it was years ago—you may be eligible to file a lawsuit to recover damages.
You may still have a claim even if the perpetrator of the abuse is no longer alive or if they were never charged with or convicted of a crime. To learn more about your legal options, contact us today.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
