San Diego emergency children’s shelter faces over 100 sex abuse allegations from former residents

The civil complaints charge that San Diego County failed in its duty to protect vulnerable children placed in its care, claiming a "total lack of supervision" and "inadequate background checks and screenings" for employees.

"Children were left in isolated situations where individuals employed by the center could abuse and harm them with impunity," the lawsuit states. "Staff members would later tell the children that if they reported anything to authorities, they would never be allowed to leave."

The victims of the alleged abuse were violated between the early 1990s to 2023. According to the complaints, both male and female employees at the center repeatedly sexually assaulted children between the ages of 2 and 17, which included groping, molesting, and forcing them to perform sex acts. Several of the accusers are now in their 40s and are "still suffering from the unimaginable trauma they experienced at Polinsky," attorneys representing the plaintiffs said.

One incident alleges that a female staff member repeatedly touched a 9-year-old's genitals during gym practice. This same staffer was responsible for putting the children to bed, which resulted in the victim being subjected to repeated sexual abuse while alone in his bedroom with her.

Another victim, who was also aged nine at the time, was allegedly forced to endure repeated sexual abuse from a male staff member. The staffer would enter the child's bedroom at night, coerce him into performing sex acts, and then intimidate him with violent threats if he disclosed the incident to anyone, per the complaint.

The complaints allege negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"It is utterly unacceptable that such heinous acts were allowed to persist in a place meant to provide safety and care," said Adam Slater, Founding and Managing Partner of Slater Slater Schulman LLP. "These were children seeking refuge during a highly disruptive moment in their young lives. Rather than providing them a place to be loved and nurtured, the County was sending child after child into their own personal hell."

The Polinsky Children's Center in Kearny Mesa is operated by the Health and Human Services of the county. The complex is equipped with a nursery and six residential cottages, which can accommodate approximately 200 children. The center admits over 100 children, ranging from infants to age 17, on a monthly basis for a maximum 10-day stay, according to Axios.