Thousands of documents related to alleged childhood sexual abuse at Camp Scott, a defunct detention camp in Santa Clarita, were found scattered inside the facility, according to attorneys from the law firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi. The firm is suing Los Angeles County over these decades-old incidents. During a visit on April 15, attorneys discovered records that should have been turned over during the discovery process more than a year ago.
Attorney Courtney Thom, representing the firm, expressed shock at finding documents, including paper grievances and a locked file cabinet labeled “Personnel Files CAMPS A – W.” Thom also found a drawing believed to be signed by Thomas Jackson, a probation deputy accused by at least 20 women of sexual assault at the camp. “You can understand my shock when I’m walking through where my clients got raped as children, and there are documents everywhere,” Thom stated during a court hearing in Los Angeles.
James Sargent, representing the county, disputed these claims, calling them “inflammatory and incorrect.” He argued that the personnel files and drawing were unrelated to the staff named in the lawsuits. According to Sargent, the drawing was a card given to a former supervisor by a youth.
The county recently announced plans to pay $4 billion to settle nearly 7,000 claims of alleged sexual abuse in juvenile facilities and foster homes, marking the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history. However, some firms, including Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, have opted out of the settlement and continue litigation.
The discovery of these documents contradicts the county’s claims that many records needed to fight these cases are missing. Attorney John Manly urged the court to allow his firm to publicize footage of the documents to share with legislators. L.A. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Riff agreed to keep the videos confidential for now due to security concerns, although discussions about making certain videos public are ongoing.
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