An NBC News investigation sorted through tens of thousands of documents and found dozens of reports of sexual and physical abuse. Can I sue a Sequel facility that is closed? Use the CB Insights Platform to explore Sequel Youth and Family Services's full profile. He mentioned how "you can make money in this . Alabama, however, is among the states that have permitted Sequel to continue operating. Run by Sequel Youth & Family Services a for-profit, $450 million company backed by Bay Area investors Lakeside had promised to put the boys "on a pathway to lead healthy and successful . An Altamont press release said Ripley would "remain involved with the business as chairman of the board through its next phases of growth." "These are places that are supposed to provide a safe, homelike, therapeutic environment, Johnson said. The lawsuit alleges staff sat on his chest as he screamed . Most of the former Sequel treatment centers that remain open are now controlled by Vivant Behavioral Healthcare, which was founded in 2021 by Jay Ripley, one of three people who founded Sequel in 1999. Tommy James is an attorney representing a 16-year-old named Hunter who lived at a Sequel facility in Courtland for 10 months. The report included photographic proof of the Dickensian conditions that the states most vulnerable children were forced to live in: broken doors, missing floor tiles, blood smeared on the walls and thin mattresses laid on top of concrete platforms. For more information about potential legal action, you can contact an experienced Sequel abuse lawyer at TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation case consultation. More than 40 States Have Sent Their Most Vulnerable Kids to Facilities Run by a for-Profit Company Named Sequel. Patricia took photos during a visit showing Hunter, a thin, slight child, sitting on a couch at the facility in a Spider-Man T-shirt. Sequel subsequently closed the facility. In 2020, 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick died after he was reportedly smothered to death by Sequel employees in Michigan after he threw a sandwich. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If they cant get qualified people to do their job, they need to shut them down.. Responsibilities of Executive Director: Manages 5 - 10 subordinate supervisors who supervise a total of 50 - 55 employees. And when we identify circumstances in which we are not providing care to the par that we expect it to be provided, we intervene with it. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. The state pays Sequel Youth and Family Services about $330 per day, per child, the lawsuit states. For 72 hours, staff members left him in a small room outfitted with a thin mattress and a camera on the ceiling, he said. A civil rights lawsuit has been filed against a Kalamazoo youth home after a 16-year-old boy was restrained and later died earlier this year. . A concrete slab at Sequel's Courtland facility where thin mattresses are placed for children to sleep. I recall walking in and the stench was overwhelming. In Alabama Vivants application for a business registration was signed by Ripleys daughter, Christine Aron, who previously served as Sequels vice president of business development. May 28, 2021 Sequel Youth and Family Services and the Troubled Teen Industry (Residential Treatment Program/Facility Abuse and Neglect) October 30, 2020 Tommy James Law Files Civil Lawsuit in LeBrawn Rankin Tragedy. He was forced to go to the bathroom on his own breakfast tray, he said. Sequel formerly ran the following facilities: Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Sequel Youth and Family Services, alleging abuse of all sorts and negligent behavior of staff and management. Former Students at Utah Troubled-Teen Centers Say Their Reports of Sex Abuse Were Ignored. Sequel TSI in Owens Cross Roads emailed a statement reading "TSI . Two dozen people sat quietly in a conference room at the University of Baltimore on Oct. 1, 2015, as Sequel co-founder Jay Ripley, dressed neatly in a blazer and tie, explained why he had built a company that largely ran on taxpayer money. He complained that Forest Ridge was admitting children they were not qualified to care for, were allowing children to prey on one another, and were failing to keep children safe by allowing them to leave the facility unsupervised., The report also includes an email Martens sent the state last April: It is time for a change of how business is conducted. He and the other children at Sequel Tuskegee were treated like animals by staff. But nobody came. Clockwise from top, the latest operations to close: Mountain Home Academy in Idaho, Forest Ridge Youth Services in Iowa, Pompano Youth Treatment Center in Florida. Rappleyeis a reporter with the Investigative Unit at NBC News, with a focus on criminal justice, social issues and the environment. Some girls tried to harm themselves just to get out of the facility, Laurie said, including herself. . Pros. Officials at Sequel Youth & Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the Oct. 14 report. They also did a nice job keeping us updated with the case throughout the process. Members of our attorney team have first-hand experience with youth residential treatment facilities and abuse cases. HUNTSVILLE, Ala., June 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequel Youth and Family Services today announced that Chris W. Roussos has been appointed the Company's Chief Executive . Legal action is being strategized by our attorneys for Horizon Therapeutics failure to properly warn patients of potential hearing loss side effects. Dont' waste time, contact our law offices today. Sequel Youth and Family Services, a Huntsville, Ala.,-based for-profit company, will run the center effective April 1, said Amanda Fortuna, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Juvenile . Forms of abuse that qualify for the Sequel lawsuit are: If you have suffered the loss of a loved one due to abuse at a Sequel facility, or you represent the estate of a victim, or you are the legal guardian of an underaged victim, you may be able to represent the victim in a lawsuit. These residents were allowed to attack Tevin nightly. MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP) A company that runs treatment centers for troubled youth is closing a second Utah facility as officials investigate claims of sexual abuse, violence and several other . The state did not end its relationship with Sequel. On January 26, 2022, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Tevin Pike against Sequel TSI of Alabama, Sequel TSI of Tuskegee, and Sequel Youth & Family Services LLC (Sequel), alleging that Pike was a former 15-year-old resident at an Alabama treatment facility for children run by Sequel TIS of Tuskegee, a residential psychiatric facility, for about two months in 2018, during which Pike was allegedly choked, beaten, punched, slapped and slammed to the ground by employees and other residents. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredrick's family in December. Before they got out, the two crossed paths at a psychiatric hospital, where they were sent after trying to harm themselves. Alabama cannot wait for the death of a child before severing ties with Sequel, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program told state agencies in its July report, which called on the state to end its contracts with Sequel and revoke the companys licenses. Many states have reportedly revoked contracts with Sequel (but not Alabama). Sequel Youth and Family Services was founded in the late 1990s by former employees of Youth Services International. A residential school operated by Sequel Youth and Family Services is set to permanently shutdown its operations. You cut off the head. California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have also stopped placing children in programs run by the company. 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To find out what the statute of limitations is in your state, contact TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation legal consultation today. Sparkman, the Alabama Department of Human Resources spokesman, said the agency could not comment on individual cases. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. The lawsuits reinforce the findings of a recent Huffington Post investigation that revealed more than two decades of abuse and neglect inside private prisons operated by Youth Services International and other companies run by its founder, James Slattery. Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. Everything you need to know about the Disney California Cookware / 16 hours ago Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Sequel Youth and Family Services, alleging abuse of all sorts and negligent behavior of staff and management. A woman who answered the phone at Capital Academy and asked not to be identified said it was not part of Vivant. Sequel was founded as a company in 1999. "At Sequel Youth & Family Services, we have dedicated our careers to helping this nation's most vulnerable youth. In wooing states, Sequel has an advantage: It offers to take children with the most severe challenges, who are hardest to place. The first morning he woke up in the room, Tristan said, he waved his arms at the camera, pounded on the door and shouted for the staff to let him out to use the bathroom. Though their marketing and public statements espouse an aura of care and reverence for the well-being and progression of the residents they house, their company has been named in lawsuits that allege rampant physical, sexual, and mental/verbal abuse. Tommy James, an attorney representing the boy identified only as Hunter C., said his client lived at Sequel TSI of Courtland in 2018 and 2019, where . There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. Sequel often receives government funding to take in youth residents from both the foster care system and juvenile justice system. The attorneys and staff at THL worked hard, communicated every step of the process, kept me well informed at all times, and exceeded all expectations! That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . Websites for three former Sequel facilities in Utah and Tennessee indicate that they are now run by Rite of Passage, a company based in Nevada. KRQE News 13 reached out may times to Sequel Youth and Family Services, which has seen similar closures and allegations in its other nationwide facilities recently. Sequel was established to operate Clarinda Academy in Iowa, but soon expanded to operate dozens of youth residential treatment facilities around the country. The work load and expectations do not match the pay for the majority of the staff (even for the positions that require degrees). The agency declined to explain what action it took in response to the email. If you or a loved one suffered injuries or other damages as a result of abuse suffered while under the protective care of a Sequel youth facility you may qualify for legal action. However, advocacy groups say that Sequels track record should be a red flag to states that send Sequel their most troubled children along with millions in taxpayer dollars. Based on 511 reviews. Responses to the Youth Risk Behavior survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biannually, showed that over 40% of high school students reported feeling so sad or . In a court filing last week in Alabama, it argued that the lawsuit should be moved out of state court because the Ripley family is based in Virginia and an intricate series of business entities that comprise and control Vivant are incorporated in Virginia and Delaware. A 14-year-old boy with a bloody gash just beneath his hairline told her that staff members had shoved him headfirst into a wall, Johnson said. Begin Your Path To Healing & Justice. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. I dont want any other kid to have to go through that, Tristan said. 2, 2022 at 8:08 PM PDT. A typical day consisted of supervising juvenile males aged 13-18, during their daily activities including school, groups, meal times, hygiene, etc. Contact us today to see if you qualify for the Paraquat Parkinsons Disease Lawsuit! We encourage the following groups of people to step forward in confidence: An NBC News investigation sorted through more than 10,000 pages and records from 14 states, and interviews with former Sequel residents and parents showing how Sequel became one of the largest behavioral health youth facilities in the United States. Marshall also traded messages with Sequels marketing staff monitoring Gelsers social media activity when the lawmaker toured Sequel facilities that year. The Training Manager is responsible for directing, planning and implementing the training program.Also, takes the lead with staff training and personnel development. Today, youth counselors at Sequel facilities start off making $12 to $15 per hour, depending on the location. An SEC filing that year pegged Sequels value at an estimated $421 million. That lawsuit alleged that Sequel engages in a pattern and practice of using violent force against children and that children at Sequel facilities are subjected to unapproved and painful restraint techniques, long term seclusion/isolation and physical abuse (Staff refuses to intervene during fights and often encourages these fights. We have been lucky to have Sequel programs available to serve our kids, Marshall wrote. Work/Life Balance. What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. When you think about the amount of money that these facilities and Sequel are receiving, he said, it makes you wonder: Where exactly is that money going?. Captured on silent surveillance camera video, the death of Cornelius Fredrick Jr. was compared by some to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police that same year, and the public pressure on Sequel increased. The name isn't the problem. Ripley started Sequel in 1999 with Adam Shapiro, a lawyer, initially just to run Clarinda Academy, a youth facility in Iowa where Shapiro had been executive director. Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional & Psychological Abuse. Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional & Psychological AbuseFebruary 22, 2022Personal Injury Sequel Youth and Family Services Abuse LawsuitSequel Youth and Family Services is the most notable operator of youth residential treatment facilities in the United States, and reportedly operates up to 80%. Inspectors said the facility didnt meet state standards related to programming, education, supervision, and mental health treatment. Ohio recently revoked the license of a Sequel psychiatric facility in Columbus over multiple instances of violence. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. Sequel cares for more than 9,000 clients across the U.S., including foster children, children whose parents are unable to handle their behavior and children in the states juvenile justice system. In response to a list of questions laying out the findings of the APM Reports investigation, the company issued a lengthy written statement. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The operation housed a significant number of children from Oregon, which stopped sending them to Sequel treatment centers in 2020. Potential defendants in the Sequel Youth and Family Services abuse lawsuit may include one or more of the following parties: To best determine potential defendants, consult with an experienced attorney. Once the child has an accident they are then humiliated by staff members in front of the other children and made to sit in their urine or feces., Local police, the employee told Landers, called Courtland a death trap., Landers referred questions to the Department of Human Resources. It also ran outpatient programs in a handful of others. These cookies do not store any personal information. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. She said that most allegations made by children, staff and advocates end up being unsubstantiated, but that the company has zero tolerance for abuse and immediately reports allegations of wrongdoing to state oversight agencies. According to Tristan, and confirmed by state records and accounts from advocates and four former foster children, the staff regularly used seclusion, sometimes for days, at Tuskegee and Owens Cross Roads. 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