Six Families File Suit against Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy for Assault, Neglect by Staff

July 31, 2025

Six families have filed a lawsuit against the state, the state Department of Defense and the Hawaii Youth Challenge Academy alleging their minor sons were subjected to physical violence, sexual assault and gross neglect by staff and fellow cadets of Class 61 in 2024 at the Kalaeloa campus.

The complaint filed Tuesday in the Oahu Circuit Court says the academy failed to protect minors entrusted to their care, and alleges that employees ignored reports of escalating violence and sexual assault, “but in some cases directly participated in and enabled the abuse, ” the law firm of Davis Levin Livingston, which represents six male plaintiffs and their parents, said in a news release.   

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