The YDC settlement fund is New Hampshire’s state-run compensation program for people who were abused as children at the Youth Development Center in Manchester, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center. It was created in 2022 as an alternative to suing the state, pays tiered awards based on the severity of the abuse, and as of March 31, 2026, has paid roughly $152.3 million to 425 claimants out of 2,269 filed.1YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administration March 2026 Report About 1,700 claims remain unresolved, and whether the Legislature will appropriate enough money to pay them is the open question hanging over the program.
The fund was established under RSA 21-M:11-a and is authorized to operate through 2032.2YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administration and Settlement Fund It was built around a “trauma informed, victim-centered” process meant to spare survivors years of civil litigation. Former New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice John T. Broderick ran it from January 2023 until the summer of 2025. Retired Circuit Court Judge Gerard Boyle took over on May 1, 2026.
What the Fund Pays
Individual awards are capped by category of abuse. Senate Bill 591, signed by Governor Chris Sununu in June 2024, set the current tiers: up to $2.5 million for “egregious” sexual abuse characterized as wanton or cruel, up to $1.5 million for sexual assault or a combination of sexual and physical assault, and up to $150,000 for physical abuse alone.3New Hampshire Bulletin. State Expands Eligible Abuse for YDC Payment, Ups Settlement Caps A newer “other” category covers unlawful restraint, confinement, strip searches, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Awards are evaluated against legislative guidelines that weigh the type and severity of abuse along with aggravating factors. The average payout among resolved claims so far has been roughly $563,000. Attorney fees are capped at 33.3% of the settlement.
Who Can File and How the Process Works
Any living former YDC resident who was personally subjected to sexual or other abuse at the facility was eligible to file. Guardians or conservators could file on behalf of former residents unable to do so themselves. The filing deadline was June 30, 2025, and no new claims are being accepted.2YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administration and Settlement Fund If you did not file by that date, the fund is no longer an option for you.
A claim moves through four stages: initial filing and a response from the Attorney General’s Office, a formal resolution proceeding, a post-hearing evaluation, and payment processing if an award is made.4YDC Claims Administration. Resources and Forms Claimants can request their residential files from the Department of Health and Human Services to support their claim; those requests typically take 60 to 90 days.5YDC Claims Administration. Frequently Asked Questions
You cannot pursue a civil lawsuit against the state and have a claim processed through the fund at the same time. Anyone with a pending lawsuit must agree to stay the litigation to participate. Filing a claim does not require giving up legal rights, but accepting a settlement offer does: you waive your right to sue the state over the same abuse. A claimant can withdraw at any point to pursue litigation instead, and the right to sue individual perpetrators is not affected by participation in the fund.
Payouts So Far and the Backlog
The March 2026 administrator’s report lays out the numbers. Of 2,269 claims filed, 425 have been resolved for a combined $152.3 million.1YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administration March 2026 Report The state has committed to paying roughly $239 million in total settlements once amounts not yet disbursed are counted.6Concord Monitor. ‘I Am Totally Independent’ — New YDC Claims Administrator Will Ask for $55M as His Tenure Begins
About 1,700 claims are still unresolved. With statutory caps applied, the total amount requested across those pending claims exceeds $1.8 billion. Administrator Boyle has estimated that settling every remaining claim could ultimately cost the state $1 billion.7NHPR. Youth Detention Center YDC Settlement Fund Funding He expects the resolution process to take about four years and plans to begin holding resolution proceedings in August 2026.
The Funding Shortfall
If you are waiting on a claim, the fund’s balance is the thing to watch. The Legislature put $100 million into the fund in 2022 and added $60 million in 2024, bringing total appropriations to $160 million by early 2025.8YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administrator Q1 2025 Report The 2024 legislation had anticipated $75 million a year, but that benchmark has never been met. For fiscal year 2025, lawmakers provided only $60 million of the expected $75 million. By March 2025 the fund’s balance had fallen to $22.6 million, with $10 million of that held back as an operating buffer.9NH Governor and Executive Council. Executive Council Agenda Item – YDC Claims Fund
Governor Kelly Ayotte’s initial fiscal year 2026 budget contained no line item for the fund at all. When Boyle began his tenure in May 2026, he asked the Legislature for $55 million to cover existing commitments and fund settlements through fiscal year 2027. On June 19, 2026, the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee approved $20 million, citing “limited state resources.” Rep. Peter Leishman warned the fund could “bankrupt the state” and called the ongoing expenses a “runaway train.”7NHPR. Youth Detention Center YDC Settlement Fund Funding Boyle warned that without the remaining $35 million before fall, he would be unable to continue reaching settlements and that the state risked far larger costs from civil litigation.
One possible funding source has already been diverted. The state plans to sell the 150-acre YDC property in Manchester after a replacement facility in Hampstead is completed, probably not before mid-2027.10NHPR. Housing, a New High School — Manchester Residents Air Ideas for YDC Property The sale could bring in $75 million to $80 million. On May 7, 2026, the House voted 186-157 to pass SB 481, directing any sale proceeds into the General Fund rather than the settlement fund.11InDepthNH. NH House Votes to Keep YDC Sale Money in General Fund Rep. Brian Seaworth called the measure “housekeeping” that preserved legislative flexibility. Rep. David Preece argued the money should go to victims and warned it would “evaporate” in the General Fund. A conference committee compromise sent the bill to Governor Ayotte.12New Hampshire Bulletin. Lawmakers Reach Compromise on What to Do With Sununu Center Sale Proceeds
How the Fund Was Restructured in 2025
A claimant who filed under the original terms is now operating under different rules. In June 2025, Governor Ayotte signed House Bill 2, a budget trailer bill that made two major changes. The fund administrator, previously appointed by the state Supreme Court and removable only for cause, became a political appointee of the governor who can be removed at any time for any reason. The bill also gave the Attorney General veto power over the administrator’s settlement decisions, so awards that had been final and binding became advisory.13YDC Claims Administration. YDC Claims Administration Q3 2025 Report
Broderick, who had led the fund since its creation, said the Legislature and the governor “took my job away” and left the position at the end of July 2025 without resigning. He argued the state had “gutted” his independence after survivors had already agreed to pause their lawsuits based on the promise of a neutral process.14NHPR. Broderick Leaves as Head of YDC Settlement Fund, Saying Legislature ‘Took My Job Away’
The Executive Council unanimously confirmed Gerard Boyle on March 25, 2026. Boyle, a retired Concord Circuit Court judge and former trial judge of 21 years, told the Concord Monitor he received no directives from the governor or the attorney general and is “totally independent.” He acknowledged the governor’s power to fire him and said he has no fear of it. To work through the backlog, he is weighing optional lump-sum payments that would let claimants bypass formal proceedings, use of fund-affiliated mediators, and the appointment of an assistant administrator.6Concord Monitor. ‘I Am Totally Independent’ — New YDC Claims Administrator Will Ask for $55M as His Tenure Begins
Survivors’ Lawsuit Over the Changes
Three claimants, Andrew Foley, Ronald “Chuck” Miles, and Jane Doe No. 231, sued to undo the 2025 restructuring. They argued the state broke a binding promise of a fair and impartial process and that survivors had dropped civil lawsuits on the strength of the original terms before the state unilaterally changed them.15Union Leader. Victim Lawyers Seek to Strike Down Settlement Fund Changes
In September 2025, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Daniel St. Hilaire denied a preliminary injunction, ruling that the Settlement Fund Act contains no language guaranteeing a specific claims process or locking in the administrator’s independence. He wrote that the state “has the power to change its mind and breach its prior promises in a way ordinary citizens do not.”16InDepthNH. Judge St. Hilaire Sides With State Against YDC Survivors After St. Hilaire recused himself, Judge James Kennedy granted the state’s motion to dismiss in January 2026.17NH Judicial Branch. Foley v. State of New Hampshire, Plaintiffs’ Brief
The claimants have appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court as Case No. 2026-0083, filing their opening brief on April 24, 2026. They are asking the court to reverse the dismissal, reinstate their claims, and enjoin the state from enforcing the contested changes.18NH Judicial Branch. Andrew Foley v. State of New Hampshire No oral argument date had been scheduled as of the most recent available information.
The Alternative: What Happens in Court
Anyone weighing the fund against a civil lawsuit should understand the Meehan case. David Meehan, a former YDC resident, took his claims to a Rockingham County jury in May 2024 and won a $38 million verdict: $18 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in enhanced damages based on a finding that the state’s conduct was “wanton, malicious, and oppressive.”19NHPR. David Meehan Appeals Cap on $38M YDC Verdict to NH Supreme Court
Then came New Hampshire’s sovereign immunity statute. RSA 541-B:14 caps state liability at $475,000 per “single incident.” The jury had written “one” on the verdict form when asked how many incidents of abuse occurred. Judge Andrew Schulman ruled “reluctantly” that the cap applied, cutting the award from $38 million to $475,000. Meehan has appealed, arguing the cap is unconstitutional when applied to wanton or oppressive state conduct and that the trial court should have ordered a partial retrial on the number of incidents. The state has argued the verdict is not contradictory and that dissatisfaction with how the cap applies does not justify a new trial. The outcome will shape whether unresolved claimants push through administrative settlement or take their chances in court.