sequel youth services lawsuit

One of the children placed at Courtland in early 2018 was a 15-year-old boy named Hunter, a former foster child with post-traumatic stress disorder whod been abused. Alabama Sequel Facility a House of Horrors for Foster Child, Lawsuit Claims. 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. The defendants, Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services the company that supplied the academy with management services and staff members declined to comment on the lawsuit . No information will be shared unless you, as a client, first approve. Sequel Youth and Family Services is a private for-profit operator of behavioral healthcare facilities for children and youth in the United States. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. 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. 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%. These residents were allowed to attack Tevin nightly. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredricks family in December. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. In 2020, Emmet County Sheriff Mike Martens contacted the state to complain about the burden Forest Ridge was placing on his department. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. Altamont Capital Partners Invests in Sequel Youth & Family Services. You may be eligible to file a Hair Straightener Cancer Lawsuit if you or a loved one used chemical hair straighteners, hair relaxers, or other similar hair products, and subsequently were diagnosed with: Over one million people, who were present at Camp Lejeune (North Carolina) between 1953 and 1987, may have been exposed to toxic substances in the water. In the past three weeks, Sequel announced plans to shutter Clarinda Academy in Clarinda . Sara E. Teller, Alabama father brings lawsuit against Sequel facility alleging staff abused his son, LegalReader.com, Jan. 1, 2021 (available at https: . Sequel Youth and Family Services is the most notable operator of youth residential treatment facilities in the United States, and reportedly operates up to 80% of these establishments. Those treatment programs were also shut down in recent years. They may be trying to drum up business, but ultimately, Birmingham said, Sequel employees care about the children. You can also call us at (205) 843-5086 or fill out an online contact form to schedule a free consultation. 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.". Posted 6:12:41 PM. 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. Sequel Youth and Family Services was founded in the late 1990s by former employees of Youth Services International. Sequel Youth & Family Services is now in the national spotlight after NBC Nightly News ran an investigative report on the company Wednesday night. Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. The statute of limitations for each state determines the amount of time that a victim has to file an abuse lawsuit. The company kept growing by taking over other youth facilities and programs, fueled by investments from a handful of private equity firms. If you are representing the estate of a loved one who has died as a result of abuse, or as a result of self-harm from abuse, you may qualify to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Sequel or at-fault parties. Iowa's Department of Corrections rents buildings and land to its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services. The company 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. And the company vowed to reduce the use of physical restraints on children. Begin Your Path To Healing & Justice. After acquiring a new facility, Sequel uses its marketing arm to increase capacity and occupancy, as Ripley put it in a 2017 call to investors. Look no further, call now! 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. Can I sue a Sequel facility that is closed? A number of new lawsuits are currently being filed nationwide against both currently operational and closed Sequel facilities. Our team is what has made TorHoerman Law a very special place since 2009. Both Altamont and Sequel said the sale would help Sequel expand to serve more children. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. Can I represent a loved one or family member in a Sequel abuse lawsuit? Ask a Question. "Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case . It also ran outpatient programs in a handful of others. Multiple state departments have urged their respective states to cut ties with Sequel Youth and Family Services while some states have recently signed contracts, one in Alabama worth almost $13 million. Sequel Youth and Family Services, which operates numerous youth treatment and residential facilities in several states. It's a hard industry.. You may qualify to take legal action, to seek compensation for the damages that you incurred from the abuse in a Sequel facility, if you or a loved one suffered: This applies to, both, currently operational facilities and closed facilities. And Sequels Capital Academy in New Jersey is now controlled by a local company called Willow Grove LLC. They are supported by a dedicated team of staff that are as equally friendly and helpful. When Tristan was 16, he tried to run away, and when he was caught, he said, Sequel employees put him in solitary confinement as a punishment. Even if a facility is closed, victims can still take legal action against parties involved in the facilities. (Sequel said the free trips are not standard practice.). The sheriffs frustrations are similar to those expressed by local law enforcement about Sequel treatment centers in Ohio and Wyoming. Get a free online case evaluation and find out if you qualify for compensation instanly. Sequel treatment centers closed since 2017. That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . At that point, I was so depressed I didnt know what to do, Laurie said. Before they got out, the two crossed paths at a psychiatric hospital, where they were sent after trying to harm themselves. 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. See Monitoring Report for Sequel Youth and Family Services of Courtland, Ala. Disabilities Advoc. The State of Iowas placing some of these young people in this unrestricted environment is frankly absurd.. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. If they cant get qualified people to do their job, they need to shut them down.. He was forced to go to the bathroom on his own breakfast tray, he said. Sequel Youth & Family Services has an overall rating of 2.6 out of 5, based on over 205 reviews left anonymously by employees. Sequel Youth and Family Services owns Falcon Ridge Ranch, the Utah center with the highest rate of reported sex crimes. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. If you are representing a victim who is under the age of 18 and falls under your legal care, you may qualify to file a lawsuit. Falcon Ridge Academy, where these crimes occurred, is meant to house teenage girls with behavioral issues usually resulting from trauma. If you or a loved one suffered harm while in a Sequel facility in Alabama or in another state, you should promptly seek the advice of an Alabama lawyer, or a lawyer in your state, who may investigate your Sequel claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a lawsuit against Sequel, if appropriate. Kay Ivey, a Republican. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the facility. I just want people to be held accountable, Patricia said. A concrete slab at Sequel's Courtland facility where thin mattresses are placed for children to sleep. Enjoy a rewarding career where you can gain new skills and build your career with the guidance of a mentor. 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 chest for nearly 10 minutes. They described physical abuse by staff, Johnson said, and being denied medical care. 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. Based on 511 reviews. We focused on public pay because we figured kids are always going to have issues and they're always going to get in trouble, and again, the government has to figure out a way to take care of them, Ripley explained, according to a video recording. If you or a loved one suffered injuries from an Exactech implant device, you may be entitled to financial compensation. 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. Jay Ripley speaks at the Merrick School of Business in Baltimore in 2015. Sexual abuse has also been reported in Sequel facilities and is just as unreported and undocumented as physical abuse. The name isn't the problem. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. That means sending out marketing agents to get more states to send children to its facilities. Tristans mother died when he was 2, and he said his father was addicted to drugs. Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes these findings disturbing. 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. Our team of attorneys include: Continue reading to learn more about the Sequel Youth & Family Services investigation. Instead, these children are suffering from abuse, and from the reports, Sequel isn't taking responsibility. This was the first time experiencing a situation like this and Tor Hoerman law did an excellent job from start to finish. 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 Officer. Sequel declined to comment on Lauries and Tristans cases. Both options are completely confidential and completely discrete. 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. You can still file a Sequel abuse lawsuit against facilities that are closed. Sequel Youth and Family Services received nearly $9 million in reimbursement payments from the state of Michigan in 2019, according to the state. A wonderful and professional legal team. Courtland was one of the last facilities Tristan Broadrick lived in before he aged out of the foster care system. The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. These crimes occurred, is meant to House teenage girls with behavioral issues usually resulting from trauma and Ridge. Are currently being filed nationwide against both currently operational and closed Sequel facilities owner! The burden Forest Ridge was placing on his Department so depressed I didnt know to! Of reported sex crimes quot ; over the next two months, we will be collaboratively... The guidance of a mentor get a free online case evaluation and find out if you for... 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