Man Files $5 Million Claim Against Nebraska County

A former juvenile resident of a southeast Nebraska treatment center has filed a $5 million claim against Gage County because he says officials failed to supervise the center well enough to prevent his sexual assault.

The county board said it referred the claim to its insurance carrier.

Lincoln attorney Douglas Kerns said the man was sexually assaulted when he was a resident of the Firth Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in 2003 or 2004.

The man said he had his appendix removed while he was a resident of the center, and while he was recovering from that surgery three other boys assaulted him in a bathroom.

If the claim is denied or no action is taken within six months, the man will be allowed to file a lawsuit.