Sununu Youth Services Center

The New Hampshire Supreme Court heard oral arguments Nov. 20 in the appeal of a $38 million verdict awarded to David Meehan, who says he was repeatedly abused at the state’s Youth Development Center in the 1990s. The state seeks to apply a sovereign-immunity cap of $475,000 per “incident” (and a $3.75 million aggregate cap per incident), arguing the case reflects a single incident of mismanagement; justices probed whether that view would unduly limit payouts to hundreds of other claimants or, conversely, whether removing the cap could risk state finances. The outcome will affect more than 1,100 related lawsuits and a victim compensation framework that remain on hold pending this appeal.