CHEHALIS, Wash. — A lawsuit filed on behalf of a young inmate at the Green Hill School in Chehalis alleges a former security guard groomed him for sex and then convinced the young man to videotape their sexual encounters.
The explosive lawsuit filed this week in Thurston County Superior Court is the latest of several cases sex abuse claims or criminal charges lodged against Green Hill staff this year.
The lawsuit alleges former Green Hill security guard Michelle Goodman “manipulated and groomed (the young man) into a sexual relationship and used her position of power to force (him) to continue engaging in a sexual relationship.” The suit states, “Goodman repeatedly wanted to be filmed performing oral sex and have intercourse,” and that the young man “… was confused that Goodman wanted a sexual relationship with him, and he was terrified Goodman would punish him and harm him in he rejected her advances.”
The lawsuit includes two video screen shots that appear to show Goodman in a bathroom.
Goodman is already in Lewis County Jail on an unrelated case. In March she was fired from Green Hill after she was charged with “prison riot.” Lewis County prosecutors said she turned a blind eye to a plot by Green Hill inmates to beat up a rival gang member.
Goodman was set to plead guilty and be sentenced in that case later this month. But after Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer was alerted to the new lawsuit by KING 5, he said, “We are withdrawing that plea offer at this time,” and launching an investigation into the lawsuit’s claims. Meyer said he was not aware of the suit and he is hoping that the plaintiff will cooperate with a police investigation into Goodman.
Green Hill is the state’s medium to maximum security facility for males up to the age of 25 who are sentenced by the juvenile court system in Washington.
In August, the KING 5 Investigators reported on documents showing that the state has paid $4.4 million to settle sex abuse claims filed by current and former inmates who say they were abused by staff members.
Patrick Brown of the Tacoma law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala filed the lawsuit this week. He has sued the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and Green Hill in recent years on behalf of two dozen former and current residents.
“We represent someone who was sexually abused back in the 1970’s, and we have knowledge that there’s people who are being abused currently here in 2024. So that kind of shows you there’s been an ongoing culture of sexual abuse being tolerated by some of the staff,” Brown said.
In recent months, DCYF made the controversial decision to remove 40 older inmates to the adult prison system to reduce overcrowding. That decision was reversed by the courts and all the inmates were moved back to Green Hill.
In addition, several sex abuse cases have come to light this year.
In February, nude photos of a former employee were uncovered in an inmate’s cell. Two current Green Hill security guards were arrested in July after they were suspected of having sex with the same Green Hill resident, who was serving time for a murder conviction. And hundreds of sex abuse tort claims have been filed against Green Hill after a new Washington law this year removed the statute of limitations on such cases.
DCYF would not comment on the lawsuit filed this week citing pending litigation. A spokesperson said the department has “zero tolerance for all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment.” In addition, she said the cellphone the Green Hill resident used to tape the encounters would be considered contraband.