You can also sue facility staff members who are no longer working for Sequel. 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. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WAFF) - The Sequel TSI facility in Owens Cross Roads will close on Saturday. An SEC filing that year pegged Sequels value at an estimated $421 million. But the marketing push could not overcome concerns several states had after Cornelius Fredericks death this year. Our community is ready to answer. California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have also stopped placing children in programs run by the company. Her family couldnt afford private care options that cost up to $4,000 a month, but social workers determined Lauries needs were so great that she qualified for state care. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. The latest Sequel treatment centers to close are in Idaho, Florida, and Iowa, all of which had been under government scrutiny in recent years. We have been lucky to have Sequel programs available to serve our kids, Marshall wrote. In July 2020, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program sent a letter to DHR leaders, which stated Sequel's . Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. In June, Sequel announced it was shutting down its 60-bed treatment center in Mountain Home, Idaho, a city of 16,000 people located about 40 miles southeast of Boise. A wonderful and professional legal team. (866) 577-2786. Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. The State of Iowas placing some of these young people in this unrestricted environment is frankly absurd.. 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. Thank you TorHoerman Law! Mr. Roussos brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading healthcare organizations with vibrant service-oriented . More than 40 States Have Sent Their Most Vulnerable Kids to Facilities Run by a for-Profit Company Named Sequel. A residential school operated by Sequel Youth and Family Services is set to permanently shutdown its operations. You deserve to be heard and we believe you. The records revealed reports of child abuse and injury reports had been made to state agencies in Alabama, yet the facilities would still pass inspections. Pros. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. Sequel Youth and Family Services was founded in the late 1990s by former employees of Youth Services International. Ohio recently announced it was forcing Sequel Pomegranate to relinquish its license to operate its residential treatment facility. That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . 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. Their team of personal injury lawyers are experienced, personable, and well versed in a range of litigation areas. Youth Counselor Supervisor (Former Employee) - Courtland, AL - August 17, 2022. We've recovered over $4 Billion in verdicts & settlements, 16 Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Diseases & Symptoms, Sequel Youth and Family Services Abuse Lawsuit. I was banging and kicking on the door, trying to get someones attention, he said. For more information about potential legal action, you can contact an experienced Sequel abuse lawyer at TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation case consultation. Sequel Youth & Family Services has also faced criticisms. Laurie stayed at Owens Cross Roads twice before she reunited with her family. No information shared in consultations is shared unless first approved by our clients. The company has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding and tens of millions more from private equity firms to expand to new locations, while deploying a sophisticated marketing strategy to convince state officials to send more children, despite government inspections flagging violations at Sequel locations in at least nine states, the records show. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services: Second Lawsuit Settled in Death of Teen at Sequel Lakeside Facility January 12, 2022. Attorney for Cornelius Fredericks Files Civil Lawsuit against Youth Facility Where He Died. You think you're making progress, and then it just comes back stronger, Gelser said. Marshall also traded messages with Sequels marketing staff monitoring Gelsers social media activity when the lawmaker toured Sequel facilities that year. In a statement, Sparkman wrote that the agency investigates allegations and that subsequent investigation records are confidential based on Alabama law.. In a court filing last week in Alabama, it argued that the lawsuit should be moved out of state court because the Ripley family is based in Virginia and an intricate series of business entities that comprise and control Vivant are incorporated in Virginia and Delaware. Many states have reportedly revoked contracts with Sequel (but not Alabama). As of 2021, Sequel operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states. A National Alliance Of Sexual Abuse Lawyers, Proud Members Of The Following Trusted Organizations. Alabama cannot wait for the death of a child before severing ties with Sequel, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program told state agencies in its July report, which called on the state to end its contracts with Sequel and revoke the companys licenses. 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. Our firm is about people. They hope to raise awareness by speaking out. Records show that the problems at Sequel facilities go beyond Alabama. The facilities at the heart of the issue are run by Sequel Youth and Family Services. Both Altamont and Sequel said the sale would help Sequel expand to serve more children. 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. Two dozen people sat quietly in a conference room at the University of Baltimore on Oct. 1, 2015, as Sequel co-founder Jay Ripley, dressed neatly in a blazer and tie, explained why he had built a company that largely ran on taxpayer money. Sequel received little public attention before Altamont took control of it in 2017, but state regulators reported serious problems at its facilities before the private equity firm took control. Below are some of the allegations from victims, staff, and advocates which were shared during the NBC investigation and a report filed by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program of what was seen at just one Alabama location: Parents and adoptive parents have stated, "they come out worse than they were when they went in.". We're ready to fight for you. Oregon state Senator Sara Gelser has spent years demanding accountability for Sequel, and she is continuing the crusade against Vivant. The state pays Sequel Youth and Family Services about $330 per day, per child, the lawsuit states. 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.. Sequel is a frequent presence at conferences for probation officers, judges, social workers, school safety professionals, attorneys and others involved in court cases. Sequel Tuskegee is a mental health treatment facility in Macon County where boys ages 12 to 18 receive therapeutic intervention after being adjudicated by the court. And we either make drastic improvements at the facility, or we may choose not to operate that facility anymore.. They also did a nice job keeping us updated with the case throughout the process. Websites for three former Sequel facilities in Utah and Tennessee indicate that they are now run by Rite of Passage, a company based in Nevada. 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. Those treatment programs were also shut down in recent years. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services collected hundreds of millions in tax dollars to care for vulnerable children, despite abuse and negligence allegations. KALAMAZOO, MI -- A federal lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Cornelius Fredricks, the 16-year-old who died after being restrained at a Kalamazoo youth facility, seeks more than $50 million. A Profitable Death Trap: Sequel Youth Facilities Raked in Millions While Accused of Abusing Children. 102. In Alabama Vivants application for a business registration was signed by Ripleys daughter, Christine Aron, who previously served as Sequels vice president of business development. In February 2019, Courtland employees called Patricia to tell her that Hunter had tried to hang himself, she said. May 28, 2021 Sequel Youth and Family Services and the Troubled Teen Industry (Residential Treatment Program/Facility Abuse and Neglect) October 30, 2020 Tommy James Law Files Civil Lawsuit in LeBrawn Rankin Tragedy. Thank you for everything. Since Fredericks' death, Michigan's Department of Health and Human . 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. In the past three weeks, Sequel announced plans to shutter Clarinda Academy in Clarinda . 2.8. The lawsuit alleges staff sat on his chest as he screamed . 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. Sparkman, the Alabama Department of Human Resources spokesman, said the agency could not comment on individual cases. Video Shows Fatal Restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, in Michigan Foster Facility. Lawsuit: Teen screamed 'I can't breathe' during restraint WEST . Everything you need to know about the Disney California Cookware / 16 hours ago Sequel, a company with locations in 20 states that turned a $25 million profit in 2016, markets itself as a national leader in providing specialized care for at-risk youth. 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.". The staff is kind, considerate, professional, and very experienced. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. Learn more about hospital sexual abuse lawsuits from our team of attorneys. Today, youth counselors at Sequel facilities start off making $12 to $15 per hour, depending on the location. Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. If you or a loved one suffered injuries from an Exactech implant device, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Sequel declined to comment on Hunters case and his familys lawsuit. 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 . Responses to the Youth Risk Behavior survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biannually, showed that over 40% of high school students reported feeling so sad or . 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.. 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