2.9. The Alabama Department of Youth Services contracts with the facility as a private provider, placing boys there for a maximum stay of 120 days. 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.. Sequel is a privately-owned, for-profit operator of behavioral healthcare facilities for children and youth in the United States. Marianne Birmingham, Sequels compliance director, said in an interview that the company has worked with the state to improve conditions in its Alabama facilities. Responsibilities of Executive Director: Manages 5 - 10 subordinate supervisors who supervise a total of 50 - 55 employees. 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. 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 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. 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 . And we're ready to start right now. For children who qualify, Medicaid reimburses Sequel for medical and mental health treatment. 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. 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 . A wonderful and professional legal team. 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. 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, once one of the nation's largest operators of treatment centers for children with behavioral problems, plans to close three more facilities, including its flagship academy, continuing the company's contraction in the past two years amid wide-spread reports of abuse.. As of 2021, Sequel operates youth behavioral centers in 17 states. We have been lucky to have Sequel programs available to serve our kids, Marshall wrote. A woman who answered the phone at Capital Academy and asked not to be identified said it was not part of Vivant. You can also sue facility staff members who are no longer working for Sequel. Alabama Sequel Facility a House of Horrors for Foster Child, Lawsuit Claims. The lawsuit states the boy "had a propensity to engage in . 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. At TorHoerman Law, we believe that if we continue to focus on the people that we represent, and continue to be true to the people that we are justice will always be served. They contacted me the next day. 102. 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. A number of new lawsuits are currently being filed nationwide against both currently operational and closed Sequel facilities. If you have been abused at a Sequel Youth and Family Services facility, or a similar facility, contact our experienced team of attorneys today to learn more about your legal rights. Clockwise from top, the latest operations to close: Mountain Home Academy in Idaho, Forest Ridge Youth Services in Iowa, Pompano Youth Treatment Center in Florida. MOUNT PLEASANT, Utah (AP) A company that runs treatment centers for troubled youth is closing a second Utah facility as officials investigate claims of sexual abuse, violence and several other . Employee at Teen Behavior Facility Arrested for Sexual Battery, Showing Porn to Minors. 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. Instead, these children are suffering from abuse, and from the reports, Sequel isn't taking responsibility. You can also call us at (205) 843-5086 or fill out an online contact form to schedule a free consultation. 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 . CORRECTION (Dec. 16, 2020, 5:17 p.m. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Sequel is a frequent presence at conferences for probation officers, judges, social workers, school safety professionals, attorneys and others involved in court cases. Even if a facility is closed, victims can still take legal action against parties involved in the facilities. How can the same people continue to be trusted with what they say are the most vulnerable kids that we have? 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. 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 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 . Sequel declined to comment on Lauries and Tristans cases. Oregon state Senator Sara Gelser has spent years demanding accountability for Sequel, and she is continuing the crusade against Vivant. Sequel is playing hide the ball, and theyre trying to avoid accountability and responsibility for [what they did] to these children and our clients, said Tommy James, an attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, who has three suits pending against Sequel facilities now controlled by Vivant. The agency declined to explain what action it took in response to the email. The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. Contact the Elmiron Lawyers from TorHoerman Law. 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. A 14-year-old boy with a bloody gash just beneath his hairline told her that staff members had shoved him headfirst into a wall, Johnson said. If you or a loved one took Elmiron and subsequently suffered vision loss, blindness, or any other eye injury linked to the prescription drug. Enter your email below to receive notifications of new stories. According to reporting, Alabama pays Sequel about $330 per day to house each child and has paid Sequel in excess of $30 million since 2018. Those contracts, which Ivey signed, allow Sequel to continue to run Courtland through September 2022. These children are re-traumatized daily by continuous abuse and neglect.). 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 . He watched through a window as children made their way to class. 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. Sequel Youth and Family Services, which operates numerous youth treatment and residential facilities in several states. "My client lived a house of horrors," Tommy James said. The staff is kind, considerate, professional, and very experienced. Very nice people! 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 Officer. Toxic chemicals in Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF Firefighting Foam) have been linked to numerous types of cancer, including: AFFF Firefighting Foam lawsuits aim to hold manufacturers accountable for putting peoples health at risk. Iowa's Department of Corrections rents buildings and land to its owner, Sequel Youth and Family Services. Courtland was one of the last facilities Tristan Broadrick lived in before he aged out of the foster care system. 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. Posted 6:12:41 PM. 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. Ripley sold a majority stake in Sequel to private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners in 2017, shortly after his bid to take the company public fizzled due to insufficient investment. Since then, 17 of those centers have closed. Parents, guardians, and the state expect these children to have positive peer culture, get back on track with school, and have intensive therapy. In a public letter, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program wrote that it has grave concerns about the immediate safety and welfare of the nearly 100 children, aged 12 to 18, currently in facilities run by Sequel TSI of Alabama, a Huntsville-based provider. 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. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. 2. After helping launch YSI, Ripley became the chief executive of Precision Tune Auto Care. Theyre worth nearly $13 million. 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. The name isn't the problem. Our firm is about people. Since 2019, 10 Investigates has found at least a half dozen facilities operated by Sequel Youth Family Services that have either closed or faced other sanctions like having their admissions . Illuminating Journalism from American Public Media. OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. (WAFF) - The Sequel TSI facility in Owens Cross Roads will close on Saturday. That's not what we saw.". Instead, it responded with a written statement saying, Jay Ripley and his family formed Vivant with the goal to help youth and adult consumers of behavioral health services and that the company was committed to providing ethical and quality treatment services to its clients and their families and communities.. Sequel settled a lawsuit from Fredrick's family in December. Sequel TSI in Owens Cross Roads emailed a statement reading "TSI . 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. 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 . Officials at Sequel Youth & Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the Oct. 14 report. Program, pp. He has a bulging, bloody laceration on his forehead. 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. In Alabama, the Alabama Department of Youth Services and the Alabama Department of Human Resources place at-risk children in the Sequel facility to receive medically required mental health care. The company collected over $200 million in annual revenue at the time, he said, and turned about $30 million in profit, which he attributed to keeping staffing costs low. 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. 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. Our community is ready to answer. 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. Sequel operates youth psychiatric care facilities in 19 states, including several facilities in Alabama. 38% of employees would recommend working at Sequel Youth & Family Services to a friend and 28% have a positive outlook for the business. An Altamont press release said Ripley would "remain involved with the business as chairman of the board through its next phases of growth." Sequel Youth & Family Services. I was banging and kicking on the door, trying to get someones attention, he said. 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.". I highly recommend this law firm! No information will be shared unless you, as a client, first approve. The company kept growing by taking over other youth facilities and programs, fueled by investments from a handful of private equity firms. In response to questions about allegations of abuse and negligence at Sequel facilities, Altamont said in a statement: We conducted significant due diligence prior to our initial investment and are confident that Sequel Youth and Family Services is one of the best operators in the industry. Turn to us when you dont know where to turn. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. Is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the facility. He was forced to go to the bathroom on his own breakfast tray, he said. Vivant, which does not have a website or any listed phone numbers, sent APM Reports an email asking for questions in writing, but it did not answer them. Attorneys at TorHoerman Law have first-hand experience with these sorts of facilities and can help you gain justice and compensation. How long do I have to file a Sequel abuse lawsuit? To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. 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. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequels Courtland and Tuskegee facilities. (866) 577-2786. When you think about the amount of money that these facilities and Sequel are receiving, he said, it makes you wonder: Where exactly is that money going?. Its part of what we do, Jarrett Shoemaker, a Sequel marketing agent, wrote to a Washington state child welfare official in 2014. Many states have reportedly revoked contracts with Sequel (but not Alabama). The most common issue reported at youth residential treatment facilities is physical abuse, either at the hands of employees or other residents. I was extremely impressed with their professionalism and ability to react quickly. Children at Sequels other facilities in Alabama Montgomery, Owens Cross Roads and Tuskegee also had stories to tell. 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. Use the CB Insights Platform to explore Sequel Youth and Family Services's full profile. He returned to youth treatment in 1999, taking over a former YSI treatment center in Iowa. The lawsuit alleges: Tevin did not receive the necessary mental health treatment he needed but was instead physically abused and emotionally traumatized at Sequel Tuskegee. Their team of personal injury lawyers are experienced, personable, and well versed in a range of litigation areas. "Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case . Sequel Youth & Family Services specializes in treating children with mental disorders, intellectual disabilities and trauma, which makes . In response to a list of questions laying out the findings of the APM Reports investigation, the company issued a lengthy written statement. 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.". Ask a question about working or interviewing at Sequel Youth and Family Services. It's a hard industry.. Earlier that year, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare wrote a scathing report accusing the treatment center of significant failure in staff oversight and training resulting in over 100 incidents of aberrant sexual behavior by five children over at least three months, and possibly as far back as seven months.. That national corporation also owns Woodward Academy and Forest Ridge Youth Services in . Jun 27, 2019, 15:09 ET. Multiple state departments have urged their respective states to cut ties with Sequel Youth and Family Services while some states have recently signed contracts, one in Alabama worth almost $13 million. And we either make drastic improvements at the facility, or we may choose not to operate that facility anymore.. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in Alabama, alleging rampant abuse in Sequel's . There is poor supervision, staff bullying and intimidation of the children. The company has offered all-expenses-paid trips to state employees to tour the companys facilities. Sequel was established to operate Clarinda Academy in Iowa, but soon expanded to operate dozens of youth residential treatment facilities around the country. In the two years since the incident, Sequel shut down 11 of those centers, which followed six closures in 2019. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Our team is what has made TorHoerman Law a very special place since 2009. The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . The same facility will reopen under a new name with new services while an attorney prepares to file another lawsuit against the facility. Many of Those Kids Were Abused There. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Lawrence County Circuit Court claims Sequel TSI of Alabama has a history of staff physically abusing children at its facilities, encouraging fights among children and . If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. Sequel Confronts More Abuse Allegations amid Concerns about Its Finances. TorHoerman Law was responsible for handling a medical case for our family. 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 . Tommy James is an attorney representing a 16-year-old named Hunter who lived at a Sequel facility in Courtland for 10 months. Cookie Settings '' to provide a controlled consent the reports, Sequel shut 11... 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