Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse Lawsuits

San Diego’s juvenile detention centers, including the now-closed Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, have a long history of sexual abuse scandals.

San Diego’s juvenile detention centers, including the former Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, have faced serious allegations of sexual abuse and systemic neglect. Survivors are now bringing civil lawsuits against the county for failing to protect minors in custody. These cases are expected to result in significant settlement payouts, reflecting the severity of the abuse, the impact it had on these poor children, and the county’s responsibility for allowing it to occur.

Contact our attorneys to discuss your case. All consultations are private and come at no cost.  Call us at 800-553-8082 or contact us online to learn about your options for compensation.

About Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility

The Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (“KMJDF” or “Kearny Mesa”) was a maximum security juvenile detention center in San Diego County. KMJDF first opened in the 1950s and it became the primary long-term detention facility for juvenile offenders.

Over the last decade, a major push for reforms in the juvenile justice system led to the closure of the original Kearny Mesa detention facility. In October 2024, however, a brand new juvenile “rehabilitation” and training facility was opened on the same site that KMJDF used to occupy. The new facility, called the Youth Transition Campus, has a much more progressive atmosphere and focus.

Other Juvenile Detention Facilities in San Diego County

San Diego County operated several juvenile detention facilities where reports of sexual abuse, staff misconduct, and systemic failures have surfaced. Survivors and their attorneys argue that these facilities reflect a broader pattern of negligence by the San Diego County Probation Department. Each location has its own history, but the common thread is a lack of oversight that allowed vulnerable minors to be abused. Beyond Kearney Mesa, here are the other major facilities:

• • Rancho Del Campo Juvenile Ranch
    Rancho Del Campo, often described as a “rehabilitation ranch,” faced serious allegations of staff misconduct before its closure. Reports describe routine and unjustified use of pepper spray on minors, often as a pretext to force children into showers where sexual abuse occurred. Survivors claim staff exploited their authority to create fear and control, leaving detained youth defenseless.
  • East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility: East Mesa remains an active juvenile detention center and has not escaped scrutiny. Allegations of misconduct by staff and failures to protect youth continue to surface. Because East Mesa is still operating, ongoing lawsuits raise pressing concerns about whether San Diego County is doing enough to correct known issues and prevent new incidents of abuse.
  • Girls Rehabilitation Facility (GRF): The Girls Rehabilitation Facility is a 50-bed center that has also come under fire. Lawsuits allege that young women held there were subjected to sexual abuse by staff members and faced unsafe conditions that violated PREA standards. GRF has become a focal point in litigation because it highlights how abuse was not limited to male facilities but extended across the system.

San Diego Juvenile Halls Were a Disaster

San Diego County’s juvenile detention facilities, including Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, East Mesa, and the Girls Rehabilitation Facility, have long been under scrutiny for serious problems with staff misconduct and inadequate oversight. Internal reviews and outside audits have repeatedly flagged violations of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and other basic safety standards.

Reports described a culture where complaints from youth were often ignored, investigations were slow or superficial, and staff members accused of abuse were sometimes left in positions where they still had access to minors. In some cases, officers used excessive force or relied on chemical agents like pepper spray in ways that created opportunities for further abuse.

These failures were not isolated to a single facility. The San Diego County Probation Department, which operates all of the juvenile halls, has faced repeated criticism for failing to enforce policies designed to protect vulnerable minors. The lack of consistent supervision, training, and accountability allowed patterns of abuse to continue for years.

This history of oversight failures is a key part of the lawsuits now being brought against San Diego County. Survivors are not only alleging individual acts of sexual abuse but also pointing to decades of systemic negligence that made this abuse possible.

Sexual Abuse of Juveniles at Kearny Mesa Juvenile Hall

Sexual abuse of inmates at juvenile facilities in San Diego County was a major issue for many decades. Nearly all of the facilities are operated by the San Diego County Probation Department (SDCPD). However, Kearny Mesa was one of the worst facilities in terms of abuse of inmates.

Countless juvenile inmates were sexually abused and exploited at Kearny Mesa during its decades of operation. In most cases, this abuse was perpetrated by the correctional officers and staff members at the facility who were supposed to be protecting the inmates. These abusers exploited their positions of authority and their access to the juvenile inmates to force and coerce them into sexual acts that they were not legally capable of consenting to.

Staff members and officers at Kearny Mesa had regular unsupervised or monitored access to juvenile inmates in very private and vulnerable settings, such as during strip searches and showers. Perpetrators of the abuse would use this access and the lack of oversight to abuse victims in various ways.

Abusers at Kearny Mesa used a combination of threats and “perks” to coerce juvenile inmates into engaging in sexual acts. Inmates would be threatened with loss of freedoms or other punishments if they refused sexual advances. Simultaneously, those inmates who did comply were given special favors and privileges.

Most inmates at Kearny Mesa came from unstable homes, struggled with learning or behavioral challenges, or simply needed the support and services

the juvenile justice system claimed it would provide. Instead of receiving help, they were retraumatized in a facility that was supposed to offer protection and rehabilitation.

Negligence By SDCPD

Like all juvenile facilities in San Diego County, Kearny Mesa was under the operational control and authority of the San Diego County Probation Department (SDCPD). SDCPD has full control over everything that occurred at Kearny Mesa, including who was hired, how they were trained, and what level of supervision they had.

SDCPD had a legal duty to ensure that juvenile inmates at Kearny Mesa were reasonably safe from sexual abuse and assault. Unfortunately, SDCPD neglected this duty in many ways, including hiring practices, staff training, supervision, and institutional oversight.

SDCPD was negligent in its hiring and training of employees. It was also negligent in how it trained correctional officers and for failing to adopt an effective method of supervising and monitoring staff contact with juvenile inmates.

SDCPD was also habitually negligent in failing to properly investigate complaints about staff abuse of inmates. Complaints of staff abuse brought by juvenile inmates were consistently ignored or disregarded with no investigation whatsoever. This enabled abusers to act without fear of any consequences.

The San Diego County Probation Department is now facing allegations of gross negligence in its hiring, retention, and supervision of officers accused of abuse:

• The County either knew or should have known about prior misconduct by certain staff members.
• Youth were housed in unsafe environments that failed to meet constitutional protections and violated the standards set forth by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
• Despite reports and red flags, officials failed to investigate or intervene, allowing known abusers continued access to vulnerable minors.

Who Can File a San Diego Juvenile Hall Sex Abuse Case?

If you were sexually abused at a San Diego County juvenile detention center, you may have the right to file a civil lawsuit—even if the abuse happened many years ago. These lawsuits are not just about individual perpetrators. They are about the failure of institutions like the San Diego County Probation Department to protect minors in their custody.

You may have a viable case if the abuse occurred while you were a minor at a county-run facility such as East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, Kearny Mesa Juvenile Hall, Rancho Del Campo, Camp Barrett, or the Girls Rehabilitation Facility. Survivors were often under 18 when the abuse happened, and perpetrators included staff members such as probation officers, correctional staff, or counselors, as well as other residents who were supposed to be supervised.

It is not necessary to remember the abuser’s name. A physical description, job title, or memory of how they interacted with you may be enough to move a claim forward. Many of the people accused in these lawsuits are already documented in county records or tied to prior complaints.

Statute of Limitations and Why It May Not Matter

California law currently gives survivors of childhood sexual abuse until their 40th birthday, or five years after discovering the harm, to file a lawsuit. That is a wide window, but many people understandably worry that their case may be too old.

Here is what matters: history shows that these deadlines are not always the end of the story. In Los Angeles County, survivors at juvenile halls received part of a $4 billion settlement in 2025 even though many of their claims were technically expired. The county did not pay because it wanted to do the right thing—it paid because lawmakers can always extend or reopen filing windows, and LA wanted to cut off that risk by resolving old claims now.

San Diego County faces the same pressures. If lawsuits are filed here, we expect the county to follow the same playbook: settle both timely and expired claims together, rather than gambling on what the law might allow in the future.

Will the settlement payouts be exactly the same as what you would have had if the deadline had not passed?  Probably not.  The juvenile hall settlement amounts for expired cases will be expected to be lower than what you would receive for the same case if it were still within the statute of limitations. Even so, the payouts can still be very significant. In Los Angeles, survivors with older claims still received hundreds of thousands of dollars, showing that it is well worth pursuing a case even if you think too much time has passed.

The bottom line is simple: even if your abuse happened decades ago, you may still have a path to compensation. The only way to know is to have your case reviewed.

California Statute of Limitations for Kearney Mesa Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

If you experienced sexual abuse while in custody at Kearny Mesa in San Diego, you may still have the legal right to file a civil lawsuit—even if the abuse occurred many years ago. California has significantly extended the statute of limitations for survivors of sexual abuse, offering many individuals a renewed opportunity to seek justice.

However, time limits still apply. The statute of limitations sets a legal deadline for filing a lawsuit. If that deadline passes, you could lose the ability to pursue your case, regardless of how strong your evidence is or how serious the abuse was.

In California, the statute of limitations varies based on whether the abuse occurred when the

survivor was a minor or an adult. These rules can be complex, and determining your eligibility often depends on the specific facts of your case.

How Much Can You Get from a Kearny Mesa Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?

Survivors of sexual abuse at Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility may be entitled to significant compensation through civil lawsuits against San Diego County. The clearest comparison comes from Los Angeles County, which in 2025 approved a historic $4 billion settlement averaging nearly $600,000 per survivor. That figure now serves as the benchmark for institutional abuse cases in California, and there is no reason to believe San Diego will approach these cases any differently.

The value of an individual claim still depends on several factors. First, evidence matters. A survivor’s testimony can be enough, but additional proof—such as internal records, staff complaints, or witness accounts—can strengthen the claim and increase potential compensation. Evidence that the San Diego County Probation Department knew about risks but failed to act will also weigh heavily in settlement negotiations.

Second, the severity and lasting impact of the abuse affect value. Survivors dealing with post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, or other long-term effects often receive larger payouts. Medical or psychological evaluations, while not required, can help document these harms.

Third, the survivor’s age at the time of the abuse is significant. Abuse at a younger age typically carries greater lifelong impact, which the legal system often reflects in higher settlement amounts.

If you were abused at Kearny Mesa, you may still have a valid claim. Counties like Los Angeles have already shown a willingness to settle even older cases, and San Diego is expected to follow that same path. The opportunity to pursue compensation and accountability remains open, but survivors should act before time limits or procedural hurdles create barriers.

Consolidated Litigation, Not Class Action Lawsuit

Understand that claims related to sexual abuse at Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility do not proceed as class action lawsuits. You are not being lumped into a pile, at least not with our team. Instead, each survivor files an individual case. Yet to manage complexity and streamline proceedings, these cases often move forward through consolidated litigation. This legal structure allows multiple cases to be coordinated for aspects like discovery, pretrial hearings, and case management, while preserving each survivor’s individual story and claim for damages.

Consolidated litigation drives efficiency without sacrificing individual rights. It avoids repetitive legal tasks and ensures consistent rulings—saving time, resources, and emotional energy for survivors. Any settlements still reflect the unique details of each claim, such as trauma severity or evidence strength, while benefiting from the broader institutional pressure built across many cases.

Talk to a Lawyer About a Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse Claim

If you were sexually abused at the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, you may still have time to file a claim… even if the abuse happened years ago. Although California law sets deadlines for filing, recent history shows that counties are still resolving claims that appear time-barred. Los Angeles County agreed to compensate thousands of survivors in a sweeping juvenile hall settlement, including many whose cases would have been dismissed under a strict reading of the statute of limitations. San Diego is expected to follow the same model.

These are not class actions. Your case is filed individually. But many of these lawsuits are being coordinated through consolidated litigation, which streamlines the legal process while preserving each survivor’s ability to tell their story and seek compensation based on their own experience.

The opportunity to file will not stay open forever. Survivors who wait may miss out on being included in future settlement rounds. If you are ready to explore your legal options, or just want to understand whether you qualify, we are here to help.

Speak with one of our sex abuse lawyers today. Your consultation is completely free and confidential. Call us at 800-553-8082 or contact us online to get started.