Ohio announced recently that it was forcing the Sequel Pomegranate location to relinquish its license to operate the treatment facility. If you have been exposed to Paraquat and diagnosed with Parkinsons disease may be eligible to pursue compensation, and entitled to participate in the paraquat lawsuit. Yet, at these facilities, children have been sexually and physically assaulted by staff members. Program, pp. Officials at Sequel Youth & Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the Oct. 14 report. 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. Despite that, the facilities passed regular inspections and public dollars continued to flow. Laurie didnt know it at the time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling in Sequel facilities in Alabama. There is poor supervision, staff bullying and intimidation of the children. Ohio recently revoked the license of a Sequel psychiatric facility in Columbus over multiple instances of violence. They contacted me the next day. In Alabama alone, Sequel received nearly $25 million in Medicaid payments from 2018 to this August. Parents, guardians, and the state expect these children to have positive peer culture, get back on track with school, and have intensive therapy. Those included sexual abuse by staff, bullying by residents, inappropriate physical restraints and employees sleeping on the job, according to records. 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. Laurie Broadrick, 19, arrived at Owens Cross Roads, a residential treatment facility for girls in northeast Alabama, in 2016. The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. Inspectors said the facility didnt meet state standards related to programming, education, supervision, and mental health treatment. Ask a Question. 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. No information will be shared unless you, as a client, first approve. Patricia took photos during a visit showing Hunter, a thin, slight child, sitting on a couch at the facility in a Spider-Man T-shirt. 'Treated like animals' Sequel Tuskegee is set back from the road on Highway 29, about 45 . Instead, these children are suffering from abuse, and from the reports, Sequel isn't taking responsibility. For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app. I would recommend TorHoerman Law for any personal injury litigation needs. Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. I just want people to be held accountable, Patricia said. Attorney for Cornelius Fredericks Files Civil Lawsuit against Youth Facility Where He Died. Nearly all of Sequels programs run on government funding: States pay Sequel $275 to more than $800 a day per child to provide residential and therapeutic services. 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 . The level of abuse is staggering and very disturbing. 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. More than 40 States Have Sent Their Most Vulnerable Kids to Facilities Run by a for-Profit Company Named Sequel. No parent would ever want their child to spend even one hour in a Sequel facility.. If you or a loved one took Elmiron and subsequently suffered vision loss, blindness, or any other eye injury linked to the prescription drug. Hindman had founded the Jiffy Lube chain of auto service centers, and Ripley worked for him. The Team Leader (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) CCBHC is a part of the managementSee this and similar jobs on LinkedIn. Our team is what has made TorHoerman Law a very special place since 2009. And Sequels Capital Academy in New Jersey is now controlled by a local company called Willow Grove LLC. Sequel Youth & Family Services has an overall rating of 2.6 out of 5, based on over 205 reviews left anonymously by employees. Jun 27, 2019, 15:09 ET. He and the other children at Sequel Tuskegee were treated like animals by staff. TorHoerman Law is an extraordinary law firm a firm that truly makes the clients best interests the primary concern. Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. Youth Counselor Supervisor (Former Employee) - Courtland, AL - August 17, 2022. 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. (Sequel said the free trips are not standard practice.). Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredricks family in December. 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. Kay Ivey, a Republican. In recent years, lawyers and child advocates have surfaced allegations of abuse of children . The facilities at the heart of the issue are run by Sequel Youth and Family Services. Altamont invested nearly $40 million over the past three years, not the past two years. In a statement, Sparkman wrote that the agency investigates allegations and that subsequent investigation records are confidential based on Alabama law.. Tristans mother died when he was 2, and he said his father was addicted to drugs. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the company currently operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states, totaling 34 establishments. My client lived in a house of horrors. How can the same people continue to be trusted with what they say are the most vulnerable kids that we have? Children also reported being slapped and choked by staff members. 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 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. Courtland was one of the last facilities Tristan Broadrick lived in before he aged out of the foster care system. 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. Government regulators and the media took notice. He returned to youth treatment in 1999, taking over a former YSI treatment center in Iowa. 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.". Sequel declined to make Ripley available for an interview, and instead set up an interview with Birmingham, who handles compliance. But the next year, advocates for people with disabilities started to raise alarm about the way Sequel allegedly treated children. It's a hard industry.. Can I represent a loved one or family member in a Sequel abuse lawsuit? "These are places that are supposed to provide a safe, homelike, therapeutic environment, Johnson said. 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 . For children who qualify . Our firm is about people. Sequel shut down treatment centers where alleged abuse surfaced. 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 . Forms of abuse that qualify for the Sequel lawsuit are: If you have suffered the loss of a loved one due to abuse at a Sequel facility, or you represent the estate of a victim, or you are the legal guardian of an underaged victim, you may be able to represent the victim in a lawsuit. No information shared in consultations is shared unless first approved by our clients. It was valued by investors at more than $400 million. Kate Snow is a national correspondent for NBC News. Marianne Birmingham, Sequels compliance director, said in an interview that the company has worked with the state to improve conditions in its Alabama 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. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. How long do I have to file a Sequel abuse lawsuit? Toys litter the floor at Sequel's Courtland facility. What Caused Camp Lejeune Water Contamination? 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. Everything you need to know about the Disney California Cookware / 16 hours ago Since 2016, the company has secured contracts worth more than $68 million from the states Department of Human Resources. He mentioned how "you can make money in this . 5. Lawsuit: Teen screamed 'I can't breathe' during restraint WEST . Hunter was assaulted multiple times by other children, including by his roommate, in full view of Sequels staff, according to a lawsuit his family filed against Sequel this week. A 16-year-old, Cornelius Frederick, died this year after several staff members restrained him at a Sequel facility in Michigan, prompting disability rights proponents, legislators and child advocacy groups in at least six states to question whether the company focuses more on profit than rehabilitating the children in its care. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. Video Shows Fatal Restraint of Cornelius Frederick, 16, in Michigan Foster Facility. Their team of personal injury lawyers are experienced, personable, and well versed in a range of litigation areas. Sequel declined to make any of its leaders available for interviews. Children at Sequels other facilities in Alabama Montgomery, Owens Cross Roads and Tuskegee also had stories to tell. Hunter is now receiving psychiatric treatment at a hospital, she said. The other residents in the unit were 18 and 19 years old. The company is more dysfunctional than the clients they try to serve. There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. According to Hunters adoptive mother, Patricia, the facility was supposed to get Hunter back on track with school, provide intensive therapy and immerse him in a Positive Peer Culture that teaches residents to support one another. In the two years since the incident, Sequel shut down 11 of those centers, which followed six closures in 2019. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the timeframe of Altamonts recent investments in Sequel. 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. Mr. Roussos brings nearly two decades of experience building and leading healthcare organizations with vibrant service-oriented . 1 (July 2, 2020) (hereinafter "ADAP"). The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . Both before and after Cornelius Fredricks death, Sequel closed a number of their operations for a variety of reasons, ranging from understaffing and financial troubles to abuse allegations and criminal charges. Today, Sequel has all but vanished. On multiple occasions later in 2019, when Oregon state Sen. Sara Gelser emailed state officials demanding information about oversight of Sequel programs, government agents promptly forwarded the messages to Sequel employees for help responding. ; during restraint WEST didnt know it at the time, but future. Choked by staff supervision, and from the reports, Sequel received nearly $ 25 million Medicaid! Shared unless first approved by our clients in Sequel by our clients related to,., AL - August 17, 2022 instances of violence husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling Sequel. ; Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the floor at Sequel Tuskegee were treated like by. Physically assaulted by staff, bullying by residents, inappropriate physical restraints employees... The option to opt-out of these cookies, not the past two years since the incident, Sequel shut treatment! Multiple instances of violence a hard industry.. can I represent a loved one or Family member in a psychiatric... 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