‘Shameful betrayal': Former head of YDC fund departs with scathing critique of N.H. Governor Ayotte, settlement overhaul
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Asked about the criticism raised by Broderick, a spokesperson for the governor provided a statement thanking him for his service to the state.
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'Justice Broderick has had a distinguished career in public service at the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the YDC Settlement Fund, and he is a tireless advocate for mental health awareness,' Ayotte said.
Ayotte's
Instead, she signed
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Broderick said those 'disturbing' changes
'The Legislature's last-minute statutory change, under the cover of budgetary darkness, created a fundamental unfairness and a further breach of trust,' said Broderick.
YDC victims have
'Judge Broderick's resignation emphasizes the great injustice being done to the child abuse survivors who relied on the state's promises when they submitted claims to the Settlement Fund,' said David Vicinanzo, one of the attorneys representing many YDC victims, in a statement.
'We haven't always seen eye to eye with Judge Broderick and have disagreed with some of his decisions, but he has always been a fair and impartial decision maker,' Vicinanzo said.
Broderick was appointed as a neutral and independent administrator to the settlement fund
It saved victims from having to relive the worst moments of their life in a public jury trial, while sparing the state from disturbing press, the financial risk of large jury awards, and the expense of jury trials, according to Broderick.
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After the claims process opened in January 2023, hundreds of claimants left Superior Court, instead filing claims in the confidential administrative process.
'Then everything changed with Governor Ayotte's election,' he wrote.
New Hampshire Attorney General
A spokesperson for the attorney general did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Broderick also criticized lawmakers who approved changes to the fund. He took
'We can't break the budget with this ridiculousness for people who haven't obeyed the rules, and acting like, 'Oh, you are rewarded.' Rewarded for what? A misspent life,' Weyler said.
'Their young lives were not 'misspent' as some have ignorantly suggested,' Broderick retorted in his letter, 'but were often fractured and impacted by the drugs, alcohol, violence and mental illness around them.'
Weyler
Weyler did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Broderick's letter.
Ayotte has not yet nominated a new fund administrator, and claims to the fund are currently far outpacing available funding. A hearing in the class action lawsuit is scheduled for Aug. 12.
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at
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