Ripley did not return a voicemail message seeking comment, and Altamont didnt answer an email inquiry. 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. 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. In Alabama, where Sequel is headquartered, records reveal that reports of troubling conditions in the companys facilities have been made to state agencies for years, including mandatory child abuse and injury reports and whistleblower accounts by former Sequel employees. I was extremely impressed with their professionalism and ability to react quickly. Sequel is a frequent presence at conferences for probation officers, judges, social workers, school safety professionals, attorneys and others involved in court cases. But the next year, advocates for people with disabilities started to raise alarm about the way Sequel allegedly treated children. A majority stake in Sequel was bought by Altamont Capital, a private equity firm located in California, in 2017. Sequel Youth & Family Services provides a broad spectrum of treatment programs to people of all ages with behavioral, emotional, and physical challenges. On top of those attacks, the suit states, a staff member once restrained Hunter so violently that his head hit a concrete wall and reopened an existing cut, requiring stitches. Sequel treatment centers closed since 2017. Tevin did not feel safe at Sequel Tuskegee. 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. 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. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredrick's family in December. 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.". As of 2021, Sequel operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states. Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. 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. 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. Washington, California, Oregon and Minnesota stopped sending kids to the companys treatment centers. Since then, 17 of those centers have closed. Local investigators found that the facility failed to . Sequel Youth and Family Services, which operates numerous youth treatment and residential facilities in several states. Sequel declined to make Ripley available for an interview, and instead set up an interview with Birmingham, who handles compliance. Sequel was founded as a company in 1999. After her mother received a terminal cancer diagnosis, she became depressed and defiant, and struggled with suicidal thoughts. Attorney for Cornelius Fredericks Files Civil Lawsuit against Youth Facility Where He Died. Laurie stayed at Owens Cross Roads twice before she reunited with her family. Its part of what we do, Jarrett Shoemaker, a Sequel marketing agent, wrote to a Washington state child welfare official in 2014. 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. In Alabama alone, Sequel received nearly $25 million in Medicaid payments from 2018 to this August. 137. For children who qualify . Since then, 17 of those centers . But some of Sequels operations are continuing under new ownership. The operation housed a significant number of children from Oregon, which stopped sending them to Sequel treatment centers in 2020. You may qualify to participate in a 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Lawsuit if: Over 140,000 Exactech hip, knee and ankle implants have been recalled due to packaging errors that can lead to the breakdown of parts vital to the devices function. Inspectors said the facility didnt meet state standards related to programming, education, supervision, and mental health treatment. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. A nonprofit organization in Kansas will take over a Sequel treatment center there, according to Kansas City public radio station KCUR. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. Sequel Youth & Family Services is now in the national spotlight after NBC Nightly News ran an investigative report on the company Wednesday night. Jay Ripley speaks at the Merrick School of Business in Baltimore in 2015. Parents, guardians, and the state expect these children to have positive peer culture, get back on track with school, and have intensive therapy. Turn to us when you dont know where to turn. Everything you need to know about the Disney California Cookware / 16 hours ago Laurie and Tristan Broadrick are expecting their first child. That means sending out marketing agents to get more states to send children to its facilities. Government regulators and the media took notice. What type of abuse qualifies for the Sequel lawsuit? "Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case . 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. We dont want anything like this to happen to any other kids. 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 . 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. The company is more dysfunctional than the clients they try to serve. The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . Our experienced team of child sexual abuse lawyers represents victims across a number of different case types, including in cases similar to the Sequel Youth & Family Services lawsuit. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 1. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services. Nobody joins our industry, you know, unless they're actually here for the kids, she said. Personally, I am enraged when I find out that people have treated my kids that way, if that allegation turns out to be substantiated, she said. For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app. Ratings by category. They may be trying to drum up business, but ultimately, Birmingham said, Sequel employees care about the children. 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. Employee at Teen Behavior Facility Arrested for Sexual Battery, Showing Porn to Minors. 3. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The facility, which Sequel operated under a contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, shut down the following month. But some facilities might have new life under a different name and one of the original founders. At that point, I was so depressed I didnt know what to do, Laurie said. KRQE News 13 reached out may times to Sequel Youth and Family Services, which has seen similar closures and allegations in its other nationwide facilities recently. After helping launch YSI, Ripley became the chief executive of Precision Tune Auto Care. We are passionate about what we do and delight in providing the individuals we are privileged to serve and instill permanent, positive change and propel them toward their best and full potential. Sequel Youth & Family Services has also faced criticisms. In wooing states, Sequel has an advantage: It offers to take children with the most severe challenges, who are hardest to place. I worked at Sequel Youth & Family full-time and the best day was my last! Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. 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. Very nice people! The company used marketing to secure state funding, despite government inspections flagging violations. Toys litter the floor at Sequel's Courtland facility. 95. Following a barrage of abuse scandals and media attention, including a 2020 investigation by APM Reports, the company has shut down close to half of its treatment centers and sold most of the rest to a new company called Vivant Behavioral Healthcare. If you or a loved one suffered from abuse at a Sequel facility, camp, boarding school, or treatment center, consider contacting TorHoerman Law for legal help. How can the same people continue to be trusted with what they say are the most vulnerable kids that we have? Iowa's Department of Corrections rents buildings and land to its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services. CORRECTION (Dec. 16, 2020, 5:17 p.m. There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. The latest Sequel treatment centers to close are in Idaho, Florida, and Iowa, all of which had been under government scrutiny in recent years. Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. 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. 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. The lawsuit states the boy "had a propensity to engage in . I recall walking in and the stench was overwhelming. The Training Manager is responsible for directing, planning and implementing the training program.Also, takes the lead with staff training and personnel development. . 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. The firm went above and beyond. Children at Sequels other facilities in Alabama Montgomery, Owens Cross Roads and Tuskegee also had stories to tell. The company kept growing by taking over other youth facilities and programs, fueled by investments from a handful of private equity firms. The level of abuse is staggering and very disturbing. 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. Northern Illinois Academy (NIA), located in Aurora, Illinois, is an 87-bed facility that receives funding from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and the . My client lived in a house of horrors. Sara E. Teller, Alabama father brings lawsuit against Sequel facility alleging staff abused his son, LegalReader.com, Jan. 1, 2021 (available at https: . 38% of employees would recommend working at Sequel Youth & Family Services to a friend and 28% have a positive outlook for the business. Legal action is being strategized by our attorneys for Horizon Therapeutics failure to properly warn patients of potential hearing loss side effects. If you or a loved one suffered injuries from an Exactech implant device, you may be entitled to financial compensation. 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 sheriffs frustrations are similar to those expressed by local law enforcement about Sequel treatment centers in Ohio and Wyoming. Contact TorHoerman Law for a free, legal consultation today. 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 . Then children began to talk. Work/Life Balance. January 24, 2020 How Our Alabama Law Firm Investigates Nursing Home Abuse. 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. More than 40 States Have Sent Their Most Vulnerable Kids to Facilities Run by a for-Profit Company Named Sequel. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredricks family in December. Instead, these children are suffering from abuse, and from the reports, Sequel isn't taking responsibility. Sequel was established to operate Clarinda Academy in Iowa, but soon expanded to operate dozens of youth residential treatment facilities around the country. Kate Snow is a national correspondent for NBC News. Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. Attorneys at TorHoerman Law have first-hand experience with these sorts of facilities and can help you gain justice and compensation. The facilities at the heart of the issue are run by Sequel Youth and Family Services. Enjoy a rewarding career where you can gain new skills and build your career with the guidance of a mentor. Ask a Question. Sequel disputes the findings and the facility remains open. 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. Video Shows Fatal Restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, in Michigan Foster Facility. They come out worse than they were when they went in, said Patricia, whose last name is being withheld to protect her sons privacy. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. And we're ready to start right now. 102. Children were abused, neglected at house of horrors psychiatric facility, suit says. 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 . No information shared in consultations is shared unless first approved by our clients. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequels Courtland and Tuskegee facilities. I highly recommend this law firm! That is our motto and that will always be our reality. I was banging and kicking on the door, trying to get someones attention, he said. The family of Cornelius Fredericks, a 16-year-old boy in foster care who died after being improperly restrained by youth facility staff, filed a lawsuit . 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. 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. 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. "At Sequel Youth & Family Services, we have dedicated our careers to helping this nation's most vulnerable youth. Pros. A typical bedroom at Sequel's Courtland facility. But despite those efforts, in 2020, a 16-year-old boy died after staff at Sequels Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, held him on the floor for 12 minutes. 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. For what theyve done, and what theyre not doing. Without our team, we wouldnt be able to provide our clients with anything close to the level of service they receive when they work with us. Alamo Drafthouse revealed it is selling itself as the dine-in cinema chain filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday -- and one of its new co-owners is a private-equity firm that has been engulfed in a . Jun 27, 2019, 15:09 ET. In December 2021, Sequel closed both locations of its Forest Ridge Youth Services treatment program in Iowa. There is poor supervision, staff bullying and intimidation of the children. Mr. Roussos brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading healthcare organizations with vibrant service-oriented . 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes these findings disturbing. 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