Jurors heard closing arguments Thursday in a landmark case seeking to hold the state of New Hampshire accountable

 Jurors heard closing arguments Thursday in a landmark case seeking to hold the state of New Hampshire accountable for abuse at its youth detention center. The plaintiff, David Meehan, went to police in 2017 and sued the state three years later alleging he was brutally beaten, raped and held in solitary confinement at the Youth Development Center in the 1990s. Since then, 11 former state workers have been arrested and more than 1,100 other former residents have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse spanning six decades. Meehan’s lawyer told jurors that an award upwards of $200 million would be reasonable — $1 million for each alleged sexual assault. He argued the state’s clear negligence encouraged a culture of abuse marked by pervasive brutality, corruption and a code of silence. Meehan’s attorneys called more than a dozen witnesses, including former staffers who said they faced resistance and even threats when they raised or investigated concerns, a former resident who described being gang-raped in a stairwell, and a teacher who said she spotted suspicious bruises on Meehan and half a dozen other boys during his time there. Though the state tried to undermine Meehan’s credibility in the current case, it will be relying on his testimony when the criminal cases go to trial.