Witnesses took the stand in a hearing Wednesday afternoon at Merrimack County Superior Court on a lawsuit filed against changes made to how settlement money is distributed to alleged victims of physical and sexual abuse at New Hampshire youth detention centers.

The largest change switches the administrator from a judicial employee to a political appointee and gives the attorney general veto power over any settlement decision the administrator makes.

The witnesses included alleged victim Chuck Miles and retired state Supreme Court justice John Broderick, who served as the former administrator of Youth Development Settlement Fund. Broderick resigned from the position in protest last month.

Miles, 57, who now lives in Florida, said he was blindsided by the change after expecting to meet wi

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