$10 million settlement for man who was allegedly abused at NH YDC

MANCHESTER, N.H. —

A man who sued the state of New Hampshire after allegedly being abused at the former Youth Detention Center has settled his case for $10 million.

The state has agreed to pay Michael Gilpatrick, who accused 10 staffers at the facility of sexual and physical abuse in the 1990s.

According to court documents, the state’s obligation to pay is based on legislative approval which must happen no later than July 1, 2025 and pay within 30 days of the effective date.

The payout is four times the maximum amount available to people who submit claims to the state’s settlement fund for abuse victims.

If the legislature does not approve, they will go to trial in August, according to court paperwork.

In a statement to News 9, Gilpatrick’s attorney David Vicinanzo said his trial was scheduled to being March 3 but the state came with an offer.

“A very important factor that convinced him to waive trial and settle for a fraction of the case’s value was the sincere apology for the abuse conveyed by the associate attorney general. That simple act of human decency moved Mr. Gilpatrick to tears, saved the State millions, and perhaps tens of millions, of dollars, by putting him a posture of settlement rather than conflict with the state,” Vicinanzo said in the statement.

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The settlement is not the state admitting to any liability, wrongdoing or unlawful conduct.

Gilpatrick was 14 years old when he was sent to YDC for three years in 1997. He said he was raped and choked and even described one incident in a stairwell where two staffers held him down while another raped him and another forced him to perform a sex act.

In January, Gilpatrick testified in the trial of Stephen Murphy, whose charged with aggravated sexual assault in connection to that alleged stairwell incident. A mistrial was declared in the case.

News 9 also reached out to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office for a comment but has not heard back.

News 9 doesn’t normally name alleged victims of sexual assault, but Gilpatrick has been outspoken about what he said happened.