Sequel disputes the findings and the facility remains open. It's privately held, so details about its financials are hard to come across. Vivant is using the change of ownership to fight litigation against the treatment centers formerly owned by Sequel. A National Alliance Of Sexual Abuse Lawyers, Proud Members Of The Following Trusted Organizations. Sequel declined to comment on Hunters case and his familys lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges staff sat on his chest as he screamed . The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . 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. Program, pp. Laurie didnt know it at the time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling in Sequel facilities in Alabama. Youth Counselor Supervisor (Former Employee) - Courtland, AL - August 17, 2022. According to Hunters adoptive mother, Patricia, the facility was supposed to get Hunter back on track with school, provide intensive therapy and immerse him in a Positive Peer Culture that teaches residents to support one another. Officers frequently were called to investigate peer-on-peer assaults, sexual assault allegations, staff-on-resident misconduct, and runaways, the state report on Martens complaint noted. An Altamont press release said Ripley would "remain involved with the business as chairman of the board through its next phases of growth." Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. Washington, California, Oregon and Minnesota stopped sending kids to the companys treatment centers. Even if a facility is closed, victims can still take legal action against parties involved in the facilities. Our community is ready to answer. What Caused Camp Lejeune Water Contamination? I was banging and kicking on the door, trying to get someones attention, he said. To learn more about how our law firm helps the injured, check out our Frequently Asked Questions Page. January 24, 2020 How Our Alabama Law Firm Investigates Nursing Home Abuse. In response to questions about allegations of abuse and negligence at Sequel facilities, Altamont said in a statement: We conducted significant due diligence prior to our initial investment and are confident that Sequel Youth and Family Services is one of the best operators in the industry. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. Sequel Youth & Family Services collected hundreds of millions in tax dollars to care for vulnerable children, despite abuse and negligence allegations. 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 . Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. The level of abuse is staggering and very disturbing. The young couple are expecting their first child and trying to build a new life for themselves on Alabamas Gulf Coast, working at Lauries familys carpet business. Today, Sequel has all but vanished. On top of those attacks, the suit states, a staff member once restrained Hunter so violently that his head hit a concrete wall and reopened an existing cut, requiring stitches. A residential school operated by Sequel Youth and Family Services is set to permanently shutdown its operations. Fredricks' family filed lawsuits after his death against Lakeside Academy, school owner Sequel Youth & Family Services and employees. Red Rock Canyon School, another Sequel-ran facility, closed in 2019 after reports of abuse surfaced and a riot among residents ensued, resulting in area SWAT teams responding. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. Here's everything you need to know about "The Grinch" sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. At TorHoerman Law, we believe that if we continue to focus on the people that we represent, and continue to be true to the people that we are justice will always be served. In a civil lawsuit filed Monday against Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services, the family said the teen screamed "I can't breathe" as staff members placed their weight on his . California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have also stopped placing children in programs run by the company. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredricks family in December. Toxic chemicals in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF Firefighting Foam) have been linked to numerous types of cancer, including: AFFF Firefighting Foam lawsuits aim to hold manufacturers accountable for putting peoples health at risk. In Alabama, where Sequel is headquartered, records reveal that reports of troubling conditions in the companys facilities have been made to state agencies for years, including mandatory child abuse and injury reports and whistleblower accounts by former Sequel employees. 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. 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 . The State of Iowas placing some of these young people in this unrestricted environment is frankly absurd.. They did not return our calls . All of my questions were answered quickly and in a way I could understand. He has a bulging, bloody laceration on his forehead. Members of our attorney team have first-hand experience with youth residential treatment facilities and abuse cases. 5. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. 137. Work/Life Balance. She said she could not speak in detail about the companys finances, but argued that Altamonts support including nearly $40 million invested over the past three years has allowed Sequel to provide extra training for its employees, upgrade infrastructure and install additional security cameras at its facilities. Visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find local attorneys in you state who may assist you with your claim against Sequel. An NBC News investigation sorted through tens of thousands of documents and found dozens of reports of sexual and physical abuse. Sara E. Teller, Alabama father brings lawsuit against Sequel facility alleging staff abused his son, LegalReader.com, Jan. 1, 2021 (available at https: . 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. Sequel declined to make Ripley available for an interview, and instead set up an interview with Birmingham, who handles compliance. 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. As recently as November, Sequel garnered attention when it announced the sudden closure of its Bernalillo Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which treated youths with behavioral and developmental challenges. They also did a nice job keeping us updated with the case throughout the process. Violence, Often Instigated by Staff, Has Become Common at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George for Troubled Children. Sequel is playing hide the ball, and theyre trying to avoid accountability and responsibility for [what they did] to these children and our clients, said Tommy James, an attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, who has three suits pending against Sequel facilities now controlled by Vivant. Marshall also traded messages with Sequels marketing staff monitoring Gelsers social media activity when the lawmaker toured Sequel facilities that year. These children are re-traumatized daily by continuous abuse and neglect.). Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes . 97. See Monitoring Report for Sequel Youth and Family Services of Courtland, Ala. Disabilities Advoc. 1:07. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lawrence County Circuit Court claims Sequel TSI of Alabama has a history of staff physically abusing children at its facilities, encouraging fights among children and . And we're ready to start right now. Both of his eyes are black; one is swollen shut. Alamo Drafthouse revealed it is selling itself as the dine-in cinema chain filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday -- and one of its new co-owners is a private-equity firm that has been engulfed in a . OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WAFF) - The Sequel TSI facility in Owens Cross Roads will close on Saturday. Sequel treatment centers closed since 2017. Our firm is about people. 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 . It also ran outpatient programs in a handful of others. Sequel, she said, has also invested millions in improving care, staff training and oversight of its programs, doubling the size of its corporate compliance team. 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. Tax dollars are being used ultimately to abuse and mistreat children who are in need of serious therapeutic services, and weve sent them to these services for that, said K. Ricky Watson Jr., head of the National Juvenile Justice Network, which has advocated against for-profit juvenile detention. Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California have also either shut the facilities or are ending their relationships with Sequel Youth and Family Services in wake of concern around the abuse. In 2020, Emmet County Sheriff Mike Martens contacted the state to complain about the burden Forest Ridge was placing on his department. The attorneys at THL were extremely helpful with the legal aspects of setting up my small business. The hardest part of the job was working long hours. That's not what we saw.". Kids that are already damaged, been through enough in their life, to go somewhere thats supposed to help them, help them become productive members of society, and go there and then it just destroys them.. And the company vowed to reduce the use of physical restraints on children. In an article from APM Reports analyzing Riverside Academy in Kansas, a former Sequel operation, it was found that: In the four years before it closed, the facility had been cited 38 times by Kansas officials for problems including excessive force by staff, poor supervision, under-qualified medical personnel, neglect and bullying by residents, according to state licensing records.. In 2017 Sequel operated 35 residential treatment centers in 16 states. Cornelius tragic death has been a watershed moment for the fight against abuse in these facilities. Enter your email below to receive notifications of new stories. Altamont Capital Partners Invests in Sequel Youth & Family Services. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequels Courtland and Tuskegee facilities. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. They also found the facility in disrepair, documenting missing sink handles, showers that had no hot water, moldy food, chairs with arms ripped off and nails exposed from torn upholstery on several couches. Nearly all of Sequel's programs run on government funding: States pay Sequel $275 to more than $800 a day per child to provide residential and therapeutic services. SHERIDAN Normative Services Academy, Inc. will close its doors March 22 "after an evaluation of viability of the Normative Services program," according to a press release sent Wednesday morning by NSI Executive Director Clayton Carr. Thank you for everything. Anytime that our clients are not getting the highest quality care that they deserve is an opportunity for improvement.. 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. Edwardsville Daycare Injury & Abuse Cases, You were previously (or are currently) a U.S. military service member who used standard issue 3M Combat Arms earplugs; and, Physical abuse (including unnecessary restraint), Mingus Mountain Academy (Prescott Valley), Palm Beach Youth Academy (West Palm Beach), Pompano Youth Treatment Center (Pompano Beach), SequelCare of Florida (Pinellas Park, Port Richey, Port St. Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Vero Beach), North Shore Pediatric Therapy (Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Lake Bluff, Lincolnwood, and Naperville), Woodward Community Based Services (Urbandale), SequelCare of Maine (Bangor, Rockland, Searsport, and Yarmouth), SequelCare of Oklahoma (Antlers, Broken Bow, Durant, Hugo, Poteau, and Tulsa), Pine Cone Therapies (Keller, Missouri City, and Southlake), Auldern Academy, Siler City, North Carolina (2009 2021), Clarinda Academy, Clarinda, Iowa (1999 2021), Kingston Academy, Kingston, Tennessee (2009 2019), Lakeside Academy, Kalamazoo, Michigan (2007 2020), Lexington Academy, Lexington, Indiana (1996 2017), Mount Pleasant Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (2016 2019), Normative Services Academy, Sheridan, Wyoming (2003 2021), Northern Illinois Academy, Aurora, Illinois (2021), Red Rock Canyon School, St. George, Utah (2016 2019), Riverside Academy, Wichita, Kansas (2011 2019), Rose Rock Academy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2011 2016), Sequel Pomegranate Health Systems, Columbus, Ohio (2016 2021), Sequel TSI Madison, Madison, Alabama (2009 2019), Sequel TSI North Carolina, Pittsboro, North Carolina (2009 2010), Sequel TSI of Kissimmee, Kissimmee, Florida (2009 2016), Sequel TSI Paint Rock Valley, Trenton, Alabama (2009 2011), Sequel TSI Sierra Vista, Hereford, Arizona (2009 2011), Starr Albion Prep, Albion, Michigan (2014 2020), Union Juvenile Residential Facility, Raiford, Florida (2009 2019), Other losses as a result of abuse in a Sequel facility, Sequel Youth Facility and Family Services, Staff members who held management positions and failed to report abuse, Overseeing government agencies or representatives. 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. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. We have been lucky to have Sequel programs available to serve our kids, Marshall wrote. How long do I have to file a Sequel abuse lawsuit? 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. Are hard to come across I have to file a Sequel abuse lawsuit Asked Questions Page abuse and.. Report for Sequel Youth & Family Services collected hundreds of millions in tax dollars to care for children! 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