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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. Story continues. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. 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. After NBC News presented Sequel with a list of questions this month, Birmingham visited two of the companys Alabama facilities, and said she found that The kids were very happy. She said she encourages staff members to report any concerns about misconduct to a company hotline so Sequel can ensure no child is abused in its care. California, Maryland, Oregon and Washington have also stopped placing children in programs run by the company. Sequel Youth & Family Services: Second Lawsuit Settled in Death of Teen at Sequel Lakeside Facility January 12, 2022. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. Legal action is being strategized by our attorneys for Horizon Therapeutics failure to properly warn patients of potential hearing loss side effects. Sequel Youth and Family Services is the most notable operator of youth residential treatment facilities in the United States, and reportedly operates up to 80% of these establishments. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the timeframe of Altamonts recent investments in Sequel. Since Fredericks' death, Michigan's Department of Health and Human . Sequel Youth & Family Services has also faced criticisms. Sequel Youth & Family Services. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals . "My client lived a house of horrors," Tommy James said. Sequel Youth and Family Services received nearly $9 million in reimbursement payments from the state of Michigan in 2019, according to the state. Tommy James, an attorney representing the boy identified only as Hunter C., said his client lived at Sequel TSI of Courtland in 2018 and 2019, where . Tevin did not feel safe at Sequel Tuskegee. It's like this many-headed Hydra. You can still file a Sequel abuse lawsuit against facilities that are closed. 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 . Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. They still struggle with anxieties, nightmares and the feeling that theyre behind their peers. . 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. 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 . For children who qualify, Medicaid reimburses Sequel for medical and mental health treatment. The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . Tevin and the other children were physically, verbally and emotionally abused., Pikes attorney stated at the time the complaint was filed: A culture of violence and abuse pervades throughout Sequel facilities across the country. Work/Life Balance. The most common issue reported at youth residential treatment facilities is physical abuse, either at the hands of employees or other residents. 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. 102. Tommy James is an attorney representing a 16-year-old named Hunter who lived at a Sequel facility in Courtland for 10 months. 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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. Some girls tried to harm themselves just to get out of the facility, Laurie said, including herself. lawsuits and interviews with former residents, staff . For children who qualify . 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. The teen's family suit against the school and the company that owns it, Sequel Youth Services, seeks $100 million, alleging negligence. All of my questions were answered quickly and in a way I could understand. Nearly all of Sequel's programs run on government funding: States pay Sequel $275 to more than $800 a day per child to provide residential and therapeutic services. January 24, 2020 How Our Alabama Law Firm Investigates Nursing Home Abuse. 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. It's privately held, so details about its financials are hard to come across. Since then, 17 of those centers have closed. What Caused Camp Lejeune Water Contamination? The lawsuit states the boy "had a propensity to engage in . All consultations are completely confidential and discrete. And we're ready to start right now. 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 often receives government funding to take in youth residents from both the foster care system and juvenile justice system. Look no further, call now! A lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Sequel Youth and Family Services, LLC in Macon County, Alabama Circuit Court, asserting claims of severe abuse and neglect of a 15-year-old boy at Sequel's . The company told investors it was well positioned to serve as industry consolidator, thanks in part to its clean regulatory and litigation history.. Even if a facility is closed, victims can still take legal action against parties involved in the facilities. 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. After acquiring a new facility, Sequel uses its marketing arm to increase capacity and occupancy, as Ripley put it in a 2017 call to investors. Violence, Often Instigated by Staff, Has Become Common at Red Rock Canyon School in St. George for Troubled Children. The lawsuit alleges staff sat on his chest as he screamed . That is our motto and that will always be our reality. Sequel Youth and Family Services, a Huntsville, Ala.,-based for-profit company, will run the center effective April 1, said Amanda Fortuna, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Juvenile . They also did a nice job keeping us updated with the case throughout the process. Kids that are already damaged, been through enough in their life, to go somewhere thats supposed to help them, help them become productive members of society, and go there and then it just destroys them.. Here's everything you need to know about "The Grinch" sequel, plus the best books your kid can check out now. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. According to Tristan, and confirmed by state records and accounts from advocates and four former foster children, the staff regularly used seclusion, sometimes for days, at Tuskegee and Owens Cross Roads. Michigans governor ordered state agencies in June to never do business with Sequel. Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. Thank you for everything. The leadership is the problem.. 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. 4. 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. You deserve to be heard and we believe you. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredricks family in December. 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! 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. The name isn't the problem. The advocacy organizations monitors interviewed about 100 children, some as young as 12, and documented their findings in a report this summer. Turn to us when you dont know where to turn. Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California have also either shut the facilities or are ending their relationships with Sequel Youth and Family Services in wake of concern around the abuse. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. KALAMAZOO, Mich. 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