Judge moves to slash $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case

Assocated Press

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The judge in a landmark trial over abuse at New Hampshire’s youth detention center has issued a preliminary order slashing the $38 million verdict to $475,000. Jurors awarded $38 million to a man who said he was abused at the Youth Development Center in the 1990s, but they found the state liable for only one incident. Jurors weren’t told that the law caps claims against the state at $475,000 per “incident.” Some jurors later said they wrote “one” to reflect a single case of post-traumatic stress disorder the plaintiff suffered. Last week the judge granted the state’s request to cap the verdict and said he will enter a final judgment to that effect by Friday, barring any last minute requests from attorneys.