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. Two years later, Marshall sent cookies to other Sequel employees as a gift, emails show. Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes these findings disturbing. Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app. What type of abuse qualifies for the Sequel lawsuit? An employee at a Sequel facility in Utah was arrested for sexual battery and showing pornography to minors. Earlier that year, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare wrote a scathing report accusing the treatment center of significant failure in staff oversight and training resulting in over 100 incidents of aberrant sexual behavior by five children over at least three months, and possibly as far back as seven months.. In Iowa, licensing inspectors found on multiple visits over the past two years that the Woodward Academy staff had put residents in inappropriate restraints without justification. For 72 hours, staff members left him in a small room outfitted with a thin mattress and a camera on the ceiling, he said. For what theyve done, and what theyre not doing. Sequel Youth & Family Services has also faced criticisms. 38% of employees would recommend working at Sequel Youth & Family Services to a friend and 28% have a positive outlook for the business. Sequel Youth and Family Services, the company that runs Lakeside (and is also a named defendant in the lawsuit), operates at least 55 other facilities from Arizona to Maine. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals . They severely underpay their staff! Story continues. 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. Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. Both Altamont and Sequel said the sale would help Sequel expand to serve more children. Jay Ripley speaks at the Merrick School of Business in Baltimore in 2015. Sequel Youth and Family Services is a private for-profit operator of behavioral healthcare facilities for children and youth in the United States. (866) 577-2786. Sequel is a privately-owned, for-profit operator of behavioral healthcare facilities for children and youth in the United States. Those included sexual abuse by staff, bullying by residents, inappropriate physical restraints and employees sleeping on the job, according to records. The fatal restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, at Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, led to increased scrutiny of Sequel Youth and Family Services, the for-profit company that ran Lakeside. Even if a facility is closed, victims can still take legal action against parties involved in the facilities. 1. You can also sue facility staff members who are no longer working for Sequel. What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. 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. 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 seventeen (17) states with currently active Sequel facilities are: Reports of abuse in Sequel facilities have come out at an increasing rate over the past 10-15 years. Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29. 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?. Vivant hasnt bought all of Sequels remaining assets. Sequel staff members shared the companys side of the issue and discussed how to deal with concerns among state lawmakers. After Cornelius death, Sequel was forced to shut down facilities in 18 states and earmarked for further criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. There was a particular room, said Johnson, investigations supervisor for the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, a federally funded watchdog group that has the authority to monitor treatment facilities like Sequels and advocate for changes. Sequel declined to comment on Hunters case and his familys lawsuit. In a statement, Sparkman wrote that the agency investigates allegations and that subsequent investigation records are confidential based on Alabama law.. 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. There is poor supervision, staff bullying and intimidation of the children. 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. They may be trying to drum up business, but ultimately, Birmingham said, Sequel employees care about the children. The agency declined to explain what action it took in response to the email. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. Sequel Youth and Family Services Lawsuit: Reports of Abuse, Independent Fundamental Baptist Resources, Disclaimer / Terms Of Service & Privacy Policy, 24/7 support with a caring legal staff dedicated to protecting your confidentiality, employees or "whistleblowers" of the facilities, Multiple children report being slammed to the ground and held facedown, One boy described his head being caught on a nail in the wall during a violent restraint, Reports of being called names, threatened, and comments such as "you gonna go to jail", Report of being in solitary confinement for 72 hours, with no access to a bathroom, Report of lack of access to medical treatment, dental treatment or eye care, Report of lack of access to clean drinking water, Lack of education, school work and career training, Filthy conditions and hazardous living conditions, Residents in inappropriate restraints without justification, and even the death of one resident at a Michigan facility. 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. We took the feedback from the report, we identified areas for improvement, we worked with the state to come up with a manageable plan to make those areas of improvement, Birmingham said. Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. She was taken to a psychiatric hospital, where, she said, you get emotional help that you would actually need, rather than just four walls and people screaming at you and a very hostile environment.. Sequel Youth and Family Services was founded in the late 1990s by former employees of Youth Services International. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Despite Oregons efforts to work with Sequel to meet our licensing and safety standards, it became abundantly clear that Sequel was unable or unwilling to meet Oregons mandatory reporting requirements, said Jake Sunderland, press secretary for the Oregon Department of Human Services. After helping launch YSI, Ripley became the chief executive of Precision Tune Auto Care. Ripley said that in 2015 Sequel Youth and Family Services revenue was more than $200 million and that its profits were between $30 to $32 million. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. In the past three weeks, Sequel announced plans to shutter Clarinda Academy in Clarinda . In response to a list of questions laying out the findings of the APM Reports investigation, the company issued a lengthy written statement. Falcon Ridge Academy had the highest rate of sex crimes reported in the state of Utah. Sequel TSI in Owens Cross Roads emailed a statement reading "TSI . 2.9. A National Alliance Of Sexual Abuse Lawyers, Proud Members Of The Following Trusted Organizations. 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. Enter your email below to receive notifications of new stories. Since then, 17 of those centers . 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. 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 teen's family suit against the school and the company that owns it, Sequel Youth Services, seeks $100 million, alleging negligence. Embattled Company to Close a Second Utah Treatment Center for Troubled Teens. You cut off the head. "My client lived a house of horrors," Tommy James said. 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. 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. You may be eligible to file a Tylenol Autism ADHD Lawsuit / Acetaminophen Autism ADHD Claim if you or a loved one used Tylenol and/ or Acetaminophen during pregnancy, and your child was subsequently diagnosed with ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Former Students at Utah Troubled-Teen Centers Say Their Reports of Sex Abuse Were Ignored. Mr. Roussos brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading healthcare organizations with vibrant service-oriented . The Training Manager is responsible for directing, planning and implementing the training program.Also, takes the lead with staff training and personnel development. 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. As of 2021, Sequel operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states. Sequel often receives government funding to take in youth residents from both the foster care system and juvenile justice system. I guess we just lifted each other up.. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. A wonderful and professional legal team. 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. At Courtland, where conditions had nauseated Johnson, state agencies received dozens of incident reports from 2018 to this summer detailing troubling allegations, including that children there had sustained injuries, such as a broken toe, a fractured ankle and a concussion, because of restraints. 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