新罕布什尔最高法院就一项3 800万美元的滥用判决进行辩论, 辩论数十年的滥用行为是否在475 000美元的上限下算作一起事件。 New Hampshire's Supreme Court hears arguments over a $38 million abuse verdict, debating whether decades of abuse count as one incident under a $475,000 cap.

新罕布什尔州最高法院于2025年11月20日审理了一个具有里程碑意义的案件,该案涉及判给David Meehan的3 800万美元判决,David Meehan指控1990年代国家前青年发展中心屡次虐待。 The New Hampshire Supreme Court heard arguments on November 20, 2025, in a landmark case over a $38 million verdict awarded to David Meehan, who alleged repeated abuse at the state’s former Youth Development Center in the 1990s. 国家试图根据主权豁免法降低裁决额, 规定每起“事件”个人支付475 000美元, The state seeks to reduce the award under a sovereign immunity law capping individual payouts at $475,000 per “incident,” arguing the abuse constituted a single event. Meehan的律师认为上限违反了宪法的平等保护权, 特别是因为陪审团认为国家行为是任意的, 并敦促法院维持全部判决或允许法官决定事件数量。 Meehan’s attorneys contend the cap violates constitutional equal protection rights, especially given the jury found the state acted wantonly, and urge the court to uphold the full verdict or allow a judge to determine the number of incidents. 法官们问,将几十年的虐待作为一起事件处理是否会损害其他数百名受害者的司法公正。 Justices questioned whether treating decades of abuse as one incident would undermine justice for hundreds of other victims. 该案是1 100多起类似的诉讼之一,可以在新罕布什尔为机构问责和赔偿开创先例。 The case, one of over 1,100 similar lawsuits, could set a precedent for institutional accountability and compensation in New Hampshire.