LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 17, 2026) –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will join co-counsel Jamal Tooson of Lessem, Newstat & Tooson, LLP, at a Saturday news conference to announce the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Jazeer Keys, a teenage detainee at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, California.
The lawsuit alleges that in May 2025, probation staff forced Keys to fight another youth as a condition of leaving his classroom and then denied him medical attention. It further alleges that on June 30, 2025, a tutor contracted through the Student Nest Foundation smuggled a large quantity of illegal drugs into the facility, resulting in secondary exposure that caused Keys to suffer a brain injury, seizures, and lasting harm. According to reports cited in the filing, seven Los Angeles County probation officers were also hospitalized following exposure from the same incident.
The complaint alleges the County of Los Angeles knew of longstanding safety and security failures at Los Padrinos, including drug smuggling and violence against youth, yet failed to implement adequate protections.
WHO:
Jazeer Keys and family
Attorney Ben Crump
Attorney Jamal Tooson
WHEN:
Saturday, April 18, 2026
1 p.m. PT
WHERE:
KBLA Radio
4434 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90043 (next to El Pollo Loco)
Parking:
Christ the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
3303 W. Vernon Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
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MEDIA CONTACT:
[email protected]
ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
