Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29. 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. 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. Records show that the problems at Sequel facilities go beyond Alabama. Ratings by category. Our experienced team of child sexual abuse lawyers represents victims across a number of different case types, including in cases similar to the Sequel Youth & Family Services lawsuit. 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. A National Alliance Of Sexual Abuse Lawyers, Proud Members Of The Following Trusted Organizations. 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. You can also call us at (205) 843-5086 or fill out an online contact form to schedule a free consultation. Sequel declined to make any of its leaders available for interviews. majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, established Vivant Behavioral Healthcare in order to buy a majority of Sequel, article from APM Reports analyzing Riverside Academy in Kansas, closed because of reported abuse by staff, and improper restraints were highlighted in news reports surrounding the closure, 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel, employee at a Sequel facility in Utah was arrested for sexual battery, highest rate of sex crimes reported in the state of Utah, estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. A 16-year-old Michigan boy went into cardiac arrest and died after several staff members of the residential treatment facility he stayed at restrained him, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. The Alabama Department of Youth Services contracts with the facility as a private provider, placing boys there for a maximum stay of 120 days. Video Shows Fatal Restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, in Michigan Foster Facility. Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. Sparkman, the Alabama Department of Human Resources spokesman, said the agency could not comment on individual cases. The facility, which Sequel operated under a contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, shut down the following month. And the company vowed to reduce the use of physical restraints on children. 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. Sequel marketing agents contacted state officials in Oregon before and after a story aired on NBCs Nightly News last year detailing allegations of sexual and physical abuse at Clarinda Academy. Can I represent a loved one or family member in a Sequel abuse lawsuit? They hope to raise awareness by speaking out. 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. I dont want any other kid to have to go through that, Tristan said. Laurie didnt know it at the time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling in Sequel facilities in Alabama. Michigans governor ordered state agencies in June to never do business with Sequel. KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) The family of a Black teenager who was restrained at a western Michigan youth center and died two days later of cardiac arrest has settled a second wrongful death lawsuit in the case. We've recovered over $4 Billion in verdicts & settlements, 16 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Diseases & Symptoms, Sequel Youth and Family Services Abuse Lawsuit. An NBC News investigation based on more than 10,000 pages of records from 14 states and interviews with former Sequel residents, their parents and attorneys, probation officers and watchdog groups reveals how Sequel became one of the biggest behavioral health youth facility operators in the country. You cut off the head. This was the first time experiencing a situation like this and Tor Hoerman law did an excellent job from start to finish. Five years ago, Sequel Youth & Family Services ran a chain of treatment programs that took in and tried to help troubled kids from all over the United States. Posted at 1:38 PM, Jun 21, 2020 and last updated 2020 . They described physical abuse by staff, Johnson said, and being denied medical care. He mentioned how "you can make money in this . Sequel treatment centers closed since 2017. You can still file a Sequel abuse lawsuit against facilities that are closed. Those included sexual abuse by staff, bullying by residents, inappropriate physical restraints and employees sleeping on the job, according to records. Sequel is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama and owns a nationwide network of over 40 facilities in more than 15 states, including residential treatment centers, group homes, special schools, and community-based programs. Ohio announced recently that it was forcing the Sequel Pomegranate location to relinquish its license to operate the treatment facility. Violence, Often Instigated by Staff, Has Become Common at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George for Troubled Children. I highly recommend this law firm! A number of new lawsuits are currently being filed nationwide against both currently operational and closed Sequel facilities. Plus, you will join a work environment where collaboration and support come naturally. Vivant is using the change of ownership to fight litigation against the treatment centers formerly owned by Sequel. Following a barrage of abuse scandals and media attention, including a 2020 investigation by APM Reports, the company has shut down close to half of its treatment centers and sold most of the rest to a new company called Vivant Behavioral Healthcare. Vivant, which does not have a website or any listed phone numbers, sent APM Reports an email asking for questions in writing, but it did not answer them. A walkway to enter the school at the Courtland facility. 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. Their team of personal injury lawyers are experienced, personable, and well versed in a range of litigation areas. Rappleyeis a reporter with the Investigative Unit at NBC News, with a focus on criminal justice, social issues and the environment. And we're ready to start right now. If you have been exposed to Paraquat and diagnosed with Parkinsons disease may be eligible to pursue compensation, and entitled to participate in the paraquat lawsuit. And Sequels Capital Academy in New Jersey is now controlled by a local company called Willow Grove LLC. 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 . "These are places that are supposed to provide a safe, homelike, therapeutic environment, Johnson said. Embattled Company to Close a Second Utah Treatment Center for Troubled Teens. 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. That is our motto and that will always be our reality. No information will be shared unless you, as a client, first approve. Everything you need to know about the Disney California Cookware / 16 hours ago "Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case . Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Sequel Youth and Family Services, alleging abuse of all sorts and negligent behavior of staff and management. Last year, Tennessee, which had paid Sequel up to $608 a day per child, suspended admissions to Kingston and the states Medicaid agency terminated its contract with Sequel. Do I qualify for the Sequel abuse lawsuit? Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. Both before and after Cornelius Fredricks death, Sequel closed a number of their operations for a variety of reasons, ranging from understaffing and financial troubles to abuse allegations and criminal charges. Tristan, now 18, was placed into foster care on his 12th birthday and bounced between group homes until 2018, when he landed at Tuskegee, an intensive psychiatric treatment facility. Oregon state Senator Sara Gelser has spent years demanding accountability for Sequel, and she is continuing the crusade against Vivant. 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. Those treatment programs were also shut down in recent years. Sequel markets itself as a national leader in providing specialized care for at-risk youth. 2.8 out of 5 stars for Work/Life Balance. 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. Cornelius tragic death has been a watershed moment for the fight against abuse in these facilities. 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. 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 . In a public letter, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program wrote that it has grave concerns about the immediate safety and welfare of the nearly 100 children, aged 12 to 18, currently in facilities run by Sequel TSI of Alabama, a Huntsville-based provider. Tevin did not feel safe at Sequel Tuskegee. Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes these findings disturbing. My client lived in a house of horrors. Children at Sequels other facilities in Alabama Montgomery, Owens Cross Roads and Tuskegee also had stories to tell. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. Yet, at these facilities, children have been sexually and physically assaulted by staff members. But the marketing push could not overcome concerns several states had after Cornelius Fredericks death this year. Physical abuse at these facilities often includes: Northern Illinois Academy in Des Plaines, operated by Sequel, was closed because of reported abuse by staff, and improper restraints were highlighted in news reports surrounding the closure. He was forced to go to the bathroom on his own breakfast tray, he said. Sequel, and similar for-profit companies that run youth behavioral health centers, can be paid up to $800 a day per child they take into their facilities, turning a profit of millions each year. The leadership is the problem.. In September 2019, Sondra Landers, director of the departments office in Lawrence County, where Courtland is, sent an alarming email to several top agency staff members. For children who qualify, Medicaid reimburses Sequel for medical and mental health treatment. 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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 . Birmingham said Sequels marketing agents play a key role in receiving feedback from state officials and in helping the facilitys staffers get what they need to care for their residents. The lawsuit alleges staff sat on his chest as he screamed . And we either make drastic improvements at the facility, or we may choose not to operate that facility anymore.. In a statement, Sparkman wrote that the agency investigates allegations and that subsequent investigation records are confidential based on Alabama law.. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredrick's family in December. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Our team of attorneys include: Continue reading to learn more about the Sequel Youth & Family Services investigation. Parents, guardians, and the state expect these children to have positive peer culture, get back on track with school, and have intensive therapy. The company later said in an email that in cases where a child's safety is threatened, "we take all necessary actions from employee termination, to policy and process changes, to staff-wide retraining to ensure we live up to our high standards of care for the youth we serve.". Marianne Birmingham, Sequels compliance director, said in an interview that the company has worked with the state to improve conditions in its Alabama facilities. Glenda Marshall, a program coordinator for Oregons state child welfare agency, wrote in a 2016 email to Shoemaker that the state had been struggling to find placements for foster youth. If you have been abused at a Sequel Youth and Family Services facility, or a similar facility, contact our experienced team of attorneys today to learn more about your legal rights. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. Fredricks' family filed lawsuits after his death against Lakeside Academy, school owner Sequel Youth & Family Services and employees. You deserve to be heard and we believe you. 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. In 2017, when a private equity firm bought a controlling stake in Sequel Youth & Family Services, it had 35 residential treatment centers in 16 states. The name isn't the problem. Sequel staff members shared the companys side of the issue and discussed how to deal with concerns among state lawmakers. The attorneys at THL were extremely helpful with the legal aspects of setting up my small business. Altamont invested nearly $40 million over the past three years, not the past two years. 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