CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – The New Hampshire attorney general’s office has reached a significant $10 million settlement concerning allegations made by Michael Gilpatrick, a man who claimed to have been gang-raped in a stairwell at the state’s youth detention center during the 1990s. This lawsuit was poised to be one of over 1,300 similar cases, but both parties agreed to settle outside of court, as announced by his lawyers on Saturday.

The settlement amount is notably four times greater than the maximum available through the state’s settlement fund designated for abuse victims. However, it is less than half of the $38 million awarded by a jury in May of the previous year in a separate lawsuit—the first of this nature to go to trial, which is currently under dispute as the state seeks to reduce the award to $475,000.

At the time of his admission to the Youth Development Center in 1997, Gilpatrick was just 14 years old and remained there for three years. His lawsuit accused ten staff members at the facility, located in Manchester, of engaging in sexual and physical abuse, which included repeated sexual assaults and physical restraint that left him unconscious.

In a 2021 interview, he reflected on the trauma he endured, stating, “There was nobody you could go to at YDC to talk to. You were literally stuck in your own thoughts, in your own fear every single day. That place turned us into what we were. I can’t say what I am now because I’m a better person now. But coming out of that place, I was a monster.”

One of the most shocking allegations detailed by Gilpatrick involves an incident where two staff members restrained him in a stairwell while another staffer raped him, assisted by a fourth individual who forced him to perform sexual acts. These horrifying accusations led to criminal charges against four former employees, whom Gilpatrick referred to as a “hit squad.” So far, two of the former staffers have faced trial.

Brad Asbury, 70, received a sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison after being convicted of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault in November. However, jurors could not reach a consensus in January regarding the guilt of another former staff member, Stephen Murphy, leading to a mistrial. Murphy, who has denied the charges against him, still faces multiple trials connected to accusations from other former residents.

Gilpatrick described the staff’s behavior as being coordinated, stating, “The four of them used to roll together, and they would go to different cottages and beat kids. They would literally come over and just go door to door and beat every single one of us, down the line.”

This settlement agreement spares Gilpatrick from the potential emotional turmoil of yet another court trial, as he has already testified in two criminal trials, where he exhibited visible anger towards defense attorneys. He revealed that he had remained silent about the abuse for years, mainly because staff members involved were influential figures in the dormitories, leading him to suppress the traumatic memories.

“Once I was about to accept the fact that it wasn’t my fault and I was able to stop blaming myself, I knew I had to say something,” Gilpatrick testified on January 16.

Since the investigation led by the attorney general’s office began in 2019, eleven former youth counselors have been arrested in connection to the abuse allegations. Charges against one individual were dropped, another was deemed incompetent to stand trial, and a third has passed away before facing trial. So far, two individuals have been convicted, while another case that resulted in a hung jury is anticipated to be retried later this year.

The Associated Press typically refrains from disclosing the identities of sexual assault victims unless they choose to come forward, a distinction that holds true for Gilpatrick and other victims involved in this heartbreaking situation. The youth center, which previously accommodated over 100 children but now serves fewer than a dozen, is named after former Governor John H. Sununu. Lawmakers have authorized its closure, planning to replace it with a smaller facility located elsewhere, targeting those accused or convicted of the most serious violent offenses.