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. 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. 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. Since then, 17 of those centers . A National Alliance Of Sexual Abuse Lawyers, Proud Members Of The Following Trusted Organizations. Toys litter the floor at Sequel's Courtland facility. While much of the abuse in Sequel facilities allegedly went undocumented, many other instances were well reported and even noticed by state officials responsible for ensuring the safety of youth residents. Most notably, the estate of Cornelius Fredricks filed a $100 million lawsuit against Sequel for his death. And when we identify circumstances in which we are not providing care to the par that we expect it to be provided, we intervene with it. 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. Sequel declined to comment on Hunters case and his familys lawsuit. 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. The company 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. They may be trying to drum up business, but ultimately, Birmingham said, Sequel employees care about the children. 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. There were feces on the floor, stuck inside the doorframe, stuck around the window.. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. 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. Laurie didnt know it at the time, but her future husband, Tristan Broadrick, was also struggling in Sequel facilities in Alabama. 1:07. 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 . After helping launch YSI, Ripley became the chief executive of Precision Tune Auto Care. Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional & Psychological Abuse. They did not return our calls . What we do is we strive every day to provide the best care we can for kids in these facilities, Birmingham said. He said the attorney for the Sequel Youth Services of Michigan has refused to provide the Fredericks family the video of the incident that resulted in the teen's death. 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. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the timeframe of Altamonts recent investments in Sequel. 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 . The company dreamed of dominating Americas $220 billion behavioral health care industry. The operation housed a significant number of children from Oregon, which stopped sending them to Sequel treatment centers in 2020. John Jay Ripley, one of Sequels founders, established Vivant Behavioral Healthcare in order to buy a majority of Sequel and eventually rebrand the company. It also ran outpatient programs in a handful of others. "At Sequel Youth & Family Services, we have dedicated our careers to helping this nation's most vulnerable youth. 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. Sequel employees have also faced criminal charges for abuse. He mentioned how "you can make money in this . Many of the children served by Sequel are victims with traumatic histories. The sheriffs frustrations are similar to those expressed by local law enforcement about Sequel treatment centers in Ohio and Wyoming. The state investigation found no rule violations. Sequel Youth & Family Services is now in the national spotlight after NBC Nightly News ran an investigative report on the company Wednesday night. Captured on silent surveillance camera video, the death of Cornelius Fredrick Jr. was compared by some to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police that same year, and the public pressure on Sequel increased. Today, Sequel has all but vanished. "My client lived a house of horrors," Tommy James said. Use the CB Insights Platform to explore Sequel Youth and Family Services's full profile. The name isn't the problem. Tristan, now 18, was placed into foster care on his 12th birthday and bounced between group homes until 2018, when he landed at Tuskegee, an intensive psychiatric treatment facility. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The latest Sequel treatment centers to close are in Idaho, Florida, and Iowa, all of which had been under government scrutiny in recent years. Very nice people! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. For 72 hours, staff members left him in a small room outfitted with a thin mattress and a camera on the ceiling, he said. 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. Program, pp. Ripley started Sequel in 1999 with Adam Shapiro, a lawyer, initially just to run Clarinda Academy, a youth facility in Iowa where Shapiro had been executive director. Ohio recently revoked the license of a Sequel psychiatric facility in Columbus over multiple instances of violence. They contacted me the next day. Embattled Company to Close a Second Utah Treatment Center for Troubled Teens. 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. The closure was voluntary, but it came at the end of a difficult period for the program. I would recommend TorHoerman Law for any personal injury litigation needs. They described physical abuse by staff, Johnson said, and being denied medical care. 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. For more of NBC News' in-depth reporting, download the NBC News app. 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. 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. It's privately held, so details about its financials are hard to come across. 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 Training Manager is responsible for directing, planning and implementing the training program.Also, takes the lead with staff training and personnel development. Sequel declined to make any of its leaders available for interviews. Government regulators and the media took notice. Sequel Youth and Family Services, which operates numerous youth treatment and residential facilities in several states. 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 . Both of his eyes are black; one is swollen shut. Last year, Tennessee, which had paid Sequel up to $608 a day per child, suspended admissions to Kingston and the states Medicaid agency terminated its contract with Sequel. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement. Published: May. Legal action is being strategized by our attorneys for Horizon Therapeutics failure to properly warn patients of potential hearing loss side effects. 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. 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. 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, she said, has also invested millions in improving care, staff training and oversight of its programs, doubling the size of its corporate compliance team. 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.. He complained that Forest Ridge was admitting children they were not qualified to care for, were allowing children to prey on one another, and were failing to keep children safe by allowing them to leave the facility unsupervised., The report also includes an email Martens sent the state last April: It is time for a change of how business is conducted. Birmingham said Sequels marketing agents play a key role in receiving feedback from state officials and in helping the facilitys staffers get what they need to care for their residents. Officials at Sequel Youth & Family Services did not respond to requests for comment on the Oct. 14 report. Tevins two months in Sequel Tuskegee would be a house of horrors. Sequel Youth & Family Services has also faced criticisms. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Sequel Youth and Family Services, alleging abuse of all sorts and negligent behavior of staff and management. A 16 year-old resident named Cornelius Fredricks was killed at a Kalamazoo, Michigan facility run by Sequel. 2.8. Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29. Story continues. Kate Snow is a national correspondent for NBC News. Both Altamont and Sequel said the sale would help Sequel expand to serve more children. KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) The family of a Black teenager who was restrained at a western Michigan youth center and died two days later of cardiac arrest has settled a second wrongful death lawsuit in the case. Steve and the entire staff were friendly and professional. 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. Sequel Youth & Family Services collected hundreds of millions in tax dollars to care for vulnerable children, despite abuse and negligence allegations. 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. He returned to youth treatment in 1999, taking over a former YSI treatment center in Iowa. Contact us today to see if you qualify for the Paraquat Parkinsons Disease Lawsuit! You may qualify to take legal action, to seek compensation for the damages that you incurred from the abuse in a Sequel facility, if you or a loved one suffered: This applies to, both, currently operational facilities and closed facilities. Attorney Tommy James has a record of helping individuals file lawsuits for compensation against those who have harmed them. 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 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. The lawsuit states the boy "had a propensity to engage in . The firm went above and beyond. 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. 102. Sequel operates youth psychiatric care facilities in 19 states, including several facilities in Alabama. Sequel Youth and Family Services, the company that runs Lakeside (and is also a named defendant in the lawsuit), operates at least 55 other facilities from Arizona to Maine. You can also sue facility staff members who are no longer working for Sequel. Yet, at these facilities, children have been sexually and physically assaulted by staff members. All consultations are completely confidential and discrete. 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. (Sequel said the free trips are not standard practice.). Get a free online case evaluation and find out if you qualify for compensation instanly. In wooing states, Sequel has an advantage: It offers to take children with the most severe challenges, who are hardest to place. January 24, 2020 How Our Alabama Law Firm Investigates Nursing Home Abuse. The treatment centers were run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, a "for-profit, $500-million company backed by Bay Area investors." . 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. An NBC News investigation sorted through tens of thousands of documents and found dozens of reports of sexual and physical abuse. Sequel Youth & Family Services: Second Lawsuit Settled in Death of Teen at Sequel Lakeside Facility January 12, 2022. Sara E. Teller, Alabama father brings lawsuit against Sequel facility alleging staff abused his son, LegalReader.com, Jan. 1, 2021 (available at https: . These residents were allowed to attack Tevin nightly. IE 11 is not supported. We both were at our very bottom, Tristan said. TorHoerman Law was responsible for handling a medical case for our family. . 2020 AbuseGuardian.com. 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. 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. Ohio announced recently that it was forcing the Sequel Pomegranate location to relinquish its license to operate the treatment facility. In 2017 Sequel operated 35 residential treatment centers in 16 states. The agency declined to explain what action it took in response to the email. 80. 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. In December 2021, Sequel closed both locations of its Forest Ridge Youth Services treatment program in Iowa. The work load and expectations do not match the pay for the majority of the staff (even for the positions that require degrees). Sequel disputes the findings and the facility remains open. Sexual abuse has also been reported in Sequel facilities and is just as unreported and undocumented as physical abuse. We were both in a really bad place, Laurie said. Enjoy a rewarding career where you can gain new skills and build your career with the guidance of a mentor. Edwardsville Daycare Injury & Abuse Cases, You were previously (or are currently) a U.S. military service member who used standard issue 3M Combat Arms earplugs; and, Physical abuse (including unnecessary restraint), Mingus Mountain Academy (Prescott Valley), Palm Beach Youth Academy (West Palm Beach), Pompano Youth Treatment Center (Pompano Beach), SequelCare of Florida (Pinellas Park, Port Richey, Port St. Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Vero Beach), North Shore Pediatric Therapy (Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glenview, Lake Bluff, Lincolnwood, and Naperville), Woodward Community Based Services (Urbandale), SequelCare of Maine (Bangor, Rockland, Searsport, and Yarmouth), SequelCare of Oklahoma (Antlers, Broken Bow, Durant, Hugo, Poteau, and Tulsa), Pine Cone Therapies (Keller, Missouri City, and Southlake), Auldern Academy, Siler City, North Carolina (2009 2021), Clarinda Academy, Clarinda, Iowa (1999 2021), Kingston Academy, Kingston, Tennessee (2009 2019), Lakeside Academy, Kalamazoo, Michigan (2007 2020), Lexington Academy, Lexington, Indiana (1996 2017), Mount Pleasant Academy, Mount Pleasant, Utah (2016 2019), Normative Services Academy, Sheridan, Wyoming (2003 2021), Northern Illinois Academy, Aurora, Illinois (2021), Red Rock Canyon School, St. George, Utah (2016 2019), Riverside Academy, Wichita, Kansas (2011 2019), Rose Rock Academy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2011 2016), Sequel Pomegranate Health Systems, Columbus, Ohio (2016 2021), Sequel TSI Madison, Madison, Alabama (2009 2019), Sequel TSI North Carolina, Pittsboro, North Carolina (2009 2010), Sequel TSI of Kissimmee, Kissimmee, Florida (2009 2016), Sequel TSI Paint Rock Valley, Trenton, Alabama (2009 2011), Sequel TSI Sierra Vista, Hereford, Arizona (2009 2011), Starr Albion Prep, Albion, Michigan (2014 2020), Union Juvenile Residential Facility, Raiford, Florida (2009 2019), Other losses as a result of abuse in a Sequel facility, Sequel Youth Facility and Family Services, Staff members who held management positions and failed to report abuse, Overseeing government agencies or representatives. 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