sequel youth services lawsuit

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. Alabama Sequel Facility a House of Horrors for Foster Child, Lawsuit Claims. He has a bulging, bloody laceration on his forehead. California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have also stopped placing children in programs run by the company. They come out worse than they were when they went in, said Patricia, whose last name is being withheld to protect her sons privacy. Marianne Birmingham, Sequels compliance director, said in an interview that the company has worked with the state to improve conditions in its Alabama facilities. Mr. Roussos brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading healthcare organizations with vibrant service-oriented . Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. 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 . For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Story continues. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . 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. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. 1. 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. Nineteen-year-old Tevin Pike filed a civil lawsuit against TSI Sequel of Tuskegee and several other entities Wednesday, alleging that he was abused and treated with negligent care during his . Sequel often receives government funding to take in youth residents from both the foster care system and juvenile justice system. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services provides a broad spectrum of treatment programs to people of all ages with behavioral, emotional, and physical challenges. 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. They are supported by a dedicated team of staff that are as equally friendly and helpful. 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. Laurie stayed at Owens Cross Roads twice before she reunited with her family. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and damages. The sheriffs frustrations are similar to those expressed by local law enforcement about Sequel treatment centers in Ohio and Wyoming. 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. 2020 AbuseGuardian.com. Sequel is a frequent presence at conferences for probation officers, judges, social workers, school safety professionals, attorneys and others involved in court cases. Then children began to talk. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. TorHoerman Law is an extraordinary law firm a firm that truly makes the clients best interests the primary concern. A woman who answered the phone at Capital Academy and asked not to be identified said it was not part of Vivant. With the goal of continuous improvement and our support, the company has consistently invested in quality and safety initiatives and in its staff to raise the bar and drive positive outcomes for thousands of individuals trusted to its care.. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. 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. 97. A typical day consisted of supervising juvenile males aged 13-18, during their daily activities including school, groups, meal times, hygiene, etc. Washington, California, Oregon and Minnesota stopped sending kids to the companys treatment centers. Tristans mother died when he was 2, and he said his father was addicted to drugs. The work load and expectations do not match the pay for the majority of the staff (even for the positions that require degrees). Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequels Courtland and Tuskegee facilities. Former Students at Utah Troubled-Teen Centers Say Their Reports of Sex Abuse Were Ignored. An SEC filing that year pegged Sequels value at an estimated $421 million. Enjoy a rewarding career where you can gain new skills and build your career with the guidance of a mentor. What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. Courtland was one of the last facilities Tristan Broadrick lived in before he aged out of the foster care system. 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. 38% of employees would recommend working at Sequel Youth & Family Services to a friend and 28% have a positive outlook for the business. 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. The Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water Lawsuit can apply to you, a family member, or a loved one who lived at Camp Lejeune (North Carolina) and suffered health effects from the decades of water contamination that occurred. Sequel Youth & Family Services. Our team is what has made TorHoerman Law a very special place since 2009. 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! 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. Even states without a Sequel location, including California, Oregon and Washington, have done so. 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. Sequel subsequently closed the facility. The leadership is the problem.. Work/Life Balance. 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. Three employees of the facility were charged criminally in . 5. KALAMAZOO, Mich. The family attorney for Cornelius Fredericks's estate fought to enter new evidence in the on-going civil lawsuit against Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth Family Services, but . The advocacy organizations monitors interviewed about 100 children, some as young as 12, and documented their findings in a report this summer. Children also reported being slapped and choked by staff members. Sequel markets itself as a national leader in providing specialized care for at-risk youth. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. 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. 2.9. SOURCE: The list of residential treatment facilities run by Sequel was assembled from public records and information from Sequel's websites. That is our motto and that will always be our reality. Sequel shut down treatment centers where alleged abuse surfaced. Jun 27, 2019, 15:09 ET. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals . Sequel is a privately-owned, for-profit operator of behavioral healthcare facilities for children and youth in the United States. I dont want any other kid to have to go through that, Tristan said. The same facility will reopen under a new name with new services while an attorney prepares to file another lawsuit against the facility. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredrick's family in December. 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. 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. You think you're making progress, and then it just comes back stronger, Gelser said. 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. Plus, you will join a work environment where collaboration and support come naturally. 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 . 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. Ask a Question. But some facilities might have new life under a different name and one of the original founders. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. Tevin did not feel safe at Sequel Tuskegee. The statute of limitations for each state determines the amount of time that a victim has to file an abuse lawsuit. The hardest part of the job was working long hours. They described physical abuse by staff, Johnson said, and being denied medical care. OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WAFF) - The Sequel TSI facility in Owens Cross Roads will close on Saturday. Do I qualify for the Sequel abuse lawsuit? She said she regularly witnessed staff members putting girls into violent restraints, to the point where they struggled to breathe, allegations also documented by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and in NBC News interviews with other former residents. While much of the abuse in Sequel facilities allegedly went undocumented, many other instances were well reported and even noticed by state officials responsible for ensuring the safety of youth residents. I worked at Sequel Youth & Family full-time and the best day was my last! 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. 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. "These are places that are supposed to provide a safe, homelike, therapeutic environment, Johnson said. They did not return our calls . Sequel Youth & Family Services has an overall rating of 2.6 out of 5, based on over 205 reviews left anonymously by employees. Sequel TSI in Owens Cross Roads emailed a statement reading "TSI . Children were abused, neglected at house of horrors psychiatric facility, suit says. 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. The Alabama Department of Youth Services contracts with the facility as a private provider, placing boys there for a maximum stay of 120 days. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. 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. Laurie didnt know it at the time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling in Sequel facilities in Alabama. 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. Today, Sequel has all but vanished. When Johnson and her colleagues visited, the children recounted how staff encouraged them to kill themselves and made vulgar comments; one child said staff members make fun of my name, which upsets me because it is my dads name and he passed away.. My client lived in a house of horrors. 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 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. There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. That's not what we saw.". Ripley started in the juvenile corrections business in the early 1990s, when he helped start Youth Services International with his boss and mentor James Hindman. In wooing states, Sequel has an advantage: It offers to take children with the most severe challenges, who are hardest to place. In December 2021, Sequel closed both locations of its Forest Ridge Youth Services treatment program in Iowa. You can still file a Sequel abuse lawsuit against facilities that are closed. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. This was the first time experiencing a situation like this and Tor Hoerman law did an excellent job from start to finish. Hunter is now receiving psychiatric treatment at a hospital, she said. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. : the list of residential treatment facilities run by the company currently operates behavioral! Tristans mother died when he was 2, and being denied medical.! Abuse lawsuit against the facility were charged criminally in foster Child, lawsuit Claims he was 2, and denied... Ala. ( WAFF ) - the Sequel TSI facility in Owens sequel youth services lawsuit Roads, Ala. ( )... Students at Utah Troubled-Teen centers Say Their Reports of Sex abuse were Ignored corporation also owns Woodward Academy asked... Young as 12, and documented Their findings in a report this summer 2017! Services treatment program in Iowa time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick in. 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