Horizon Juvenile Center Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse while detained at the Horizon Juvenile Center in New York as a minor, you have legal rights and options for seeking accountability and compensation.
- Located in the South Bronx in New York City, the Horizon Juvenile Center is a city-run and state-monitored juvenile detention facility.
- Since 2018, multiple survivors have come forward and filed lawsuits against the city for alleged abuse that occurred at Horizon, including repeated sexual abuse and assault by staff members.
- Survivors of juvenile detention center abuse in New York have rights and legal options for holding the responsible parties accountable.
The Horizon Juvenile Center is a secure juvenile detention facility in the Bronx, New York, that houses high-risk juvenile offenders and those found to have committed serious offenses. In recent years, multiple lawsuits have alleged unabated sexual abuse at New York City’s juvenile detention centers, including the Horizon Juvenile Center, from the 1960s through the late 2010s.
Juvenile detention center sexual abuse can have devastating lifelong impacts. However, survivors have legal rights and options for seeking justice.
What Is the Horizon Juvenile Center?
Horizon Juvenile Center, located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, is one of two secure detention facilities operated by the Administration for Children’s Services, or ACS. In New York City, secure detention is reserved for youths who pose the highest risk or have been adjudicated as serious offenders. Though the city runs the facility, it is overseen by the state’s Office of Children and Family Services.
A 2025 audit of the Horizon Juvenile Center by the New York State Comptroller found multiple Issues at the facility. These included insufficient monitoring of intake, housing, and case management, in addition to under-reporting of incidents of abuse and violence and untimely reporting of incidents.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Horizon Juvenile Center?
- Sexual Abuse Allegations at Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
- How Did Sexual Abuse Occur at Horizon Juvenile Detention Center?
- Rights and Options for Survivors of Horizon Juvenile Center Sex Abuse
- New York Laws on Sexual Abuse
- Types of Compensation for Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse Case
- Contact Helping Survivors for Legal Resources
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Sexual Abuse Allegations at Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
In 2018, Manhattan federal prosecutors opened an investigation into Horizon Juvenile Center. The investigation focuses on allegations that ACS workers groomed Horizon juveniles to do their sexual bidding by promising special treatment for compliance or consequences for rejection. The investigation was followed by multiple lawsuits from victims of alleged abuse at Horizon.
150 Survivors Sue NYC for Years of Alleged Horizon Abuse - 2024
In 2024, 150 people filed lawsuits against New York City, including the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department of Corrections, for abuse they said they endured while in the city’s custody as minors. The lawsuits allege abuse at three facilities, including Horizon Juvenile Center. The suits show a long-term systematic pattern of sexual abuse from the 1970s through the 2010s in the city’s juvenile justice system.
One victim alleged she endured repeated sexual assaults by a staff member over four months of detention at Horizon when she was 14.
Former Inmate Files Lawsuit Alleging ‘Sex Slavery’ at Horizon - 2019
In 2019, a former detainee at Horizon Juvenile Center filed a federal lawsuit alleging that guards at the facility turned him and other inmates into sex slaves when they were detained as minors. The lawsuit included accusations against Nathalie Medford, a former Horizon staff member who was named in multiple abuse lawsuits.
Victim Files Lawsuit for Alleged Horizon Abuse - 2018
In 2018, a victim filed a complaint against the city and its child welfare agency, alleging that a female counselor had repeatedly raped him at age 15 at Horizon five years earlier.
How Did Sexual Abuse Occur at Horizon Juvenile Detention Center?
Common conditions at juvenile detention facilities have allegedly enabled the abuse, such as a lack of oversight, insufficient staff monitoring, isolation of detainees by staff members, and more.
Under such conditions, sexual abuse can be perpetrated by guards, counselors, nurses, and any other staff at a juvenile facility. Additionally, it is often difficult for abuse victims to report staff abuse or misconduct in juvenile detention, as they are often not taken seriously or threatened with retaliation for speaking out.
Rights and Options for Survivors of Horizon Juvenile Center Sex Abuse
Filing a Complaint with Oversight Agencies
To report child sexual abuse to oversight agencies in New York City, call 311 or the New York State Central Register directly at 800-342-3720.
You can also report to the Office of the Ombudsman, part of the Office of Children and Family Services, which takes reports from youth, family members, and others who contact the helpline at 1-888-219-9818.
Reporting to Law Enforcement
Though not required for pursuing a civil lawsuit, victims or their loved ones may choose to report juvenile detention sexual abuse to law enforcement. Reporting can prompt a criminal investigation and create a valuable paper trail that may help prevent future harm. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
Filing a Civil Lawsuit
Survivors of sexual abuse at the Horizon Juvenile Center in New York City may be able to file a civil lawsuit against the city and the facility’s oversight agencies, even if the abuse occurred years or decades ago.
An experienced juvenile detention center sexual abuse attorney can determine the filing deadline for your case, investigate, gather evidence, prepare and file a lawsuit, negotiate a potential settlement, and represent you in court if necessary. Contact Helping Survivors today for a free case evaluation.
New York Laws on Sexual Abuse
The statute of limitations for civil sexual abuse lawsuits in New York state changed in 2019. For offenses that occurred in 2019 and later, adult victims of sexual abuse have 20 years from the date of the offense to file a civil lawsuit. Those sexually abused as children have until their 55th birthday to file a civil suit against the offender, regardless of when the offense occurred.
In New York City, a new 18-month civil lookback window has been established for crimes of gender-motivated violence that occurred before January 9, 2022, allowing survivors of child sexual abuse to file civil claims by July 29, 2027. The law allows survivors to sue not only the perpetrators but also institutions, government agencies, and private entities that enabled the abuse.
Types of Compensation for Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse Cases
In a civil juvenile detention center sexual abuse lawsuit, survivors can pursue compensation from the perpetrator and any party that enabled the abuse, such as oversight agencies or administrators. In such lawsuits, survivors can pursue compensation for medical bills, therapy costs, lost wages and income, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more.
Compensation in a juvenile detention sex abuse case is not guaranteed and can be affected by factors like the severity, frequency, and duration of the abuse.
Contact Helping Survivors for Legal Resources
If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse while detained at the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx, even if it occurred years ago, you have legal rights and options for seeking accountability and compensation.
At Helping Survivors, we connect survivors of abuse with our experienced legal partners who provide confidential, trauma-informed legal support throughout the process. Our partner law firms file civil lawsuits on behalf of survivors against the individuals and institutions that perpetrated and enabled abuse.
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