HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – The Sam Bernstein Law Firm filed a civil rights lawsuit Monday in federal court on behalf of Rashard Calhoun, a former juvenile detainee.
The suit names 20 defendants, including Wayne County officials, detention facility leadership, and senior officials at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“It hurts the parents a lot,” said Jerard Calhoun, Rashard’s father.
Jerard said he hopes sharing his family’s story will prevent others from experiencing the same pain.
“I just don’t want anybody else to go through this,” Jerard said.
What the lawsuit alleges
According to the complaint, on April 8, 2024, former detention specialist Svetlana Kuryanova allegedly groomed and sexually abused Rashard while he was in custody at the William Dickerson Juvenile Detention Center in Hamtramck.
The lawsuit says surveillance footage captured inappropriate conduct over an extended period, including physical contact and instances in which Kuryanova took Reshard to areas outside camera view.
Kuryanova was later convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving detained juveniles and sentenced to prison in 2025. The complaint states Calhoun is among the victims connected to that conviction.
Attorney Mark Bernstein says the lawsuit is about more than just one employee.
“The record, as you read through this complaint, is filled with deflection and blaming the system. Every single thing other than we are going to fix this and make this better,” Bernstein said. “Their day of reckoning is coming. It may have not come in the criminal case, but it’s going to come in a courtroom, and we are going to hold them accountable.”
Years of warning signs
The lawsuit argues this was not an isolated incident, but the result of what it calls a systemic failure.
2022: Juveniles are moved from the troubled downtown detention facility to the William Dickerson center as a temporary fix.
2023: A 12-year-old detainee is reportedly beaten and sexually assaulted. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans declares a public health emergency. That same year, two former nurses also alleged unsafe conditions at the facility.
January 2024: A state investigation report finds multiple violations, and employees are fired.
Late 2024: Wayne County begins transferring juveniles to the new Criminal Justice Center.
‘You can’t blame the system when you are the system’
Beyond the alleged assault, the lawsuit paints a troubling picture of day-to-day conditions inside the facility.
The complaint alleges that the youth were locked in rooms for 22 to 24 hours a day, denied showers and basic hygiene, inadequately fed, and deprived of schooling and recreation.
It also claims staff were sometimes instructed to remain in control rooms rather than directly supervise detainees, and that required checks were not performed.
“You can’t blame the system when you are the system,” Bernstein said.
County, state respond
Wayne County said it has not yet been served with the lawsuit and is therefore unable to comment.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Attorneys are asking anyone who experienced abuse while detained at the William Dickerson facility to come forward and contact the Sam Bernstein Law Firm.