Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch
Child Victims Act Litigation

The Firm represents three plaintiffs who were subjected to physical and sexual abuse as child residents at the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch (“the “Ranch”), a Long Island group home. One of the plaintiffs resided at the Ranch in the early 1980s. The other two plaintiffs resided there for different periods of time beginning in late 1994 to mid-1995. The lawsuits allege that the Ranch failed to protect the children in its custody through its systemically inadequate supervision and safety practices, and detail specific instances where staff members ignored the plaintiffs’ pleadings for help and failed to prevent abuse.

The three lawsuits were filed under the New York Child Victims Act, which addresses the realities of childhood trauma and delayed reporting by allowing adult survivors to bring civil actions after the expiration of the statute of limitations.

In September 2022, a state court judge ordered the Ranch to disclose documents in response to plaintiffs’ requests for discovery regarding their stay at the Ranch and prior incidents of abuse concerning non-party residents. The court ruled that if the Ranch had notice of any physical or sexual abuse involving residents, said documentation may be material and appointed a Special Master to oversee discovery and protect the privacy interests of non-parties.