Nobody joins our industry, you know, unless they're actually here for the kids, she said. This was the first time experiencing a situation like this and Tor Hoerman law did an excellent job from start to finish. But rather than get better, Laurie said, girls at Owens Cross Roads seemed to get worse. SOURCE: The list of residential treatment facilities run by Sequel was assembled from public records and information from Sequel's websites. 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. An employee at a Sequel facility in Utah was arrested for sexual battery and showing pornography to minors. 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. On January 26, 2022, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Tevin Pike against Sequel TSI of Alabama, Sequel TSI of Tuskegee, and Sequel Youth & Family Services LLC (Sequel), alleging that Pike was a former 15-year-old resident at an Alabama treatment facility for children run by Sequel TIS of Tuskegee, a residential psychiatric facility, for about two months in 2018, during which Pike was allegedly choked, beaten, punched, slapped and slammed to the ground by employees and other residents. Sequel's facility in Owens Cross Roads, Ala. Tristan Broadrick says he was kept for 72 hours a room similar to this "seclusion room" at Sequel's Tuskegee facility as punishment for running away. All of my questions were answered quickly and in a way I could understand. 1:07. Ask a Question. 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. 2, 2022 at 8:08 PM PDT. In February 2019, Courtland employees called Patricia to tell her that Hunter had tried to hang himself, she said. 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. What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. 95. Pros. 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. 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. According to Daniel Sparkman, spokesman for Alabamas Department of Human Resources, the agency made unannounced visits to Sequel facilities in the wake of the advocacy groups report, but by then, most, if not all deficiencies had been addressed. The agency continues to send children to Sequel facilities. Last year Sequel officials defended their treatment programs, stating through a crisis management firm that the company had increased staff training and oversight and was working on "phasing out the practice of physically restraining . Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. 1 (July 2, 2020) (hereinafter "ADAP"). Both of his eyes are black; one is swollen shut. In 2020, a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 14-year-old against the Sequel facility in north Alabama alleged that the teenager suffered long-term abuse at the hands of staff and other children residing at the facility. They severely underpay their staff! 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. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. Sequel declined to make any of its leaders available for interviews. 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. Even states without a Sequel location, including California, Oregon and Washington, have done so. The company kept growing by taking over other youth facilities and programs, fueled by investments from a handful of private equity firms. 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. Plus, you will join a work environment where collaboration and support come naturally. Violence, Often Instigated by Staff, Has Become Common at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George for Troubled Children. 97. 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. The teen's family suit against the school and the company that owns it, Sequel Youth Services, seeks $100 million, alleging negligence. Birmingham said that seclusion which the company refers to as controlled observation and physical restraints are supposed to be last resorts and are not meant to be punitive. The lawsuit, filed by the parent of a child, identified as Hunter C., placed at Sequel's Courtland facility in north Alabama in early 2018 at age 14, claims he suffered long-term abuse at the . January 24, 2020 How Our Alabama Law Firm Investigates Nursing Home Abuse. We're ready to be your ally. Iowa's Department of Corrections rents buildings and land to its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services. Story continues. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services collected hundreds of millions in tax dollars to care for vulnerable children, despite abuse and negligence allegations. Employee at Teen Behavior Facility Arrested for Sexual Battery, Showing Porn to Minors. Once the child has an accident they are then humiliated by staff members in front of the other children and made to sit in their urine or feces., Local police, the employee told Landers, called Courtland a death trap., Landers referred questions to the Department of Human Resources. 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. The lawsuit alleges that Pike was placed in isolation as punishment, sometimes for days, during which he had no access to food and water and was forced to urinate in the corner of the segregation room. How can the same people continue to be trusted with what they say are the most vulnerable kids that we have? Sequel declined to make Ripley available for an interview, and instead set up an interview with Birmingham, who handles compliance. 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For children who qualify . You may be eligible to file a Tepezza Lawsuit if you or a loved one took Tepezza and subsequently suffered permanent hearing loss or tinnitus. After helping launch YSI, Ripley became the chief executive of Precision Tune Auto Care. 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. And the company vowed to reduce the use of physical restraints on children. And we're ready to start right now. Two years later, Marshall sent cookies to other Sequel employees as a gift, emails show. Sequel Youth and Family Services is a diversified behavioral health services provider that develops and operates programs for people with behavioral, emotional, or physical challenges. 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. 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. State Pulling All Students in Its Care from Northern Illinois Academy Following Reports of Abuse, 16 Diseases & Symptoms Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination, Baby Formula NEC Lawsuit Payout & Settlements, Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Settlement Amounts, Hair Straightener Endometrial Cancer Lawsuit, Hair Straightening Cancer Lawsuit Settlement Amounts, Projected Paraquat Lawsuit Settlement Amounts. The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . If you or a loved one suffered injuries from an Exactech implant device, you may be entitled to financial compensation. 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. You can make money in this business if you control staffing, said Ripley, who at the time made $104,167 per month from Sequel as chairman, according to a financial disclosure. TorHoerman Law is an extraordinary law firm a firm that truly makes the clients best interests the primary concern. On January 26, 2022, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Tevin Pike against Sequel TSI of Alabama, Sequel TSI of Tuskegee, and Sequel Youth & Family Services LLC ("Sequel"), alleging that Pike was a former 15-year-old resident at an Alabama treatment facility for children run by Sequel TIS of Tuskegee, a residential psychiatric facility, for about two months in 2018, during which Pike was . Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. I dont want any other kid to have to go through that, Tristan said. Some girls tried to harm themselves just to get out of the facility, Laurie said, including herself. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. Laurie stayed at Owens Cross Roads twice before she reunited with her family. TorHoerman Law is a personal injury law firm comprised of individuals who are dedicated to getting justice for those wrongfully injured by the tortious acts of others. What Caused Camp Lejeune Water Contamination? Dont' waste time, contact our law offices today. 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 . The firm went above and beyond. Fredricks' family filed lawsuits after his death against Lakeside Academy, school owner Sequel Youth & Family Services and employees. "Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case . We're ready to fight for you. As of 2021, Sequel operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states. I was extremely impressed with their professionalism and ability to react quickly. The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. Video Shows Fatal Restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, in Michigan Foster Facility. A number of new lawsuits are currently being filed nationwide against both currently operational and closed Sequel facilities. 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. 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. To find out what the statute of limitations is in your state, contact TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation legal consultation today.