Lakeside Academy Sex Abuse Lawsuits

This page will discuss sexual abuse lawsuits involving Lakeside Academy in Michigan. Lakeside Academy was a residential treatment facility in western Michigan that housed many juveniles who were wards of the state. Lakeside shut down in 2020 after evidence surfaced that juvenile residents were victims of abuse by staff.

Victims of sexual abuse at Lakeside Academy can now bring civil lawsuits against the company that operated Lakeside for negligently failing to protect them from abuse. If you have a potential sex abuse lawsuit against Lakeside Academy, call our sex abuse lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.

About Lakeside Academy

Lakeside Academy was a residential treatment facility for juveniles located in Kalamazoo, Michigan (western Michigan). Lakeside Academy provide care and residential treatment services for juveniles in Michigan’s foster care, family services, and juvenile justice programs. Almost all of the juvenile residents at Lakeside were placed there by the state of Michigan.

The Lakeside Academy facility in Kalamazoo could accommodate over 50 juvenile residents at a time between the ages of 12 and 21. Juvenile residents at Lakeside were placed in a range of treatment programs including substance abuse, behavioral, and mental health treatment. Residents also participated in educational programs.

Sequel Youth and Family Services

Although Lakeside’s juvenile residents were placed by the state, the facility was operated by a private, for-profit company called Sequel Youth and Family Services. Sequel is a large company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Sequel owns and operates a national network of residential treatment facilities that primarily house juveniles placed by state welfare systems. Sequel has over 40 facilities in 15 different states across the country.

Recent investigations and lawsuits have revealed that residential treatment facilities operated by private companies, such as Sequel, provide a negligent level of care and security for juvenile residents. This is largely due to cost cutting measures aimed at turning a profit on every juvenile resident.

When a juvenile is sent to a Sequel facility by the state welfare or juvenile justice system, Sequel is paid by the state for housing and treating that juvenile. Sequel is a for-profit company, however, so its primary focus is on maximizing the profit margin in the money they get from the state. They accomplish this by cutting costs and corners at every opportunity.

A recent investigation and report by the U.S. Senate detailed the problems associated with residential treatment facilities operated by for-profit companies like Sequel. The Senate investigation report detailed how these companies have systematically failed to provide juveniles appropriate care and failed to adequately protect them from abuse and assault by staff. The key areas of failure highlighted in the report included:

Understaffing: Employees are the single biggest expense for private residential treatment facilities, so when companies like Sequel are looking to cut costs and boost profits, they always cut staff. This creates an environment where the few staff members that are left can act with very little oversight, giving predatory staff the opportunity to victimize residents.
Ignoring Complaints: When juvenile residents report incidents of sexual abuse or assault by staff to administrators at facilities like Lakeside Academy, the reports are routinely ignored or swept under the rug with little or no investigation.
Absence of Safey Measures: Sequel does not spend money of expensive safety and security features such as security cameras or staff oversight and training.

Lakeside Academy Gets Shutdown in 2020

Lakeside Academy was abruptly shut down in 2020 after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) revoked its license to operate. This action by MDHHS was prompted by a major scandal following the death of a 16-year-old juvenile resident.

The juvenile resident, Cornelius Frederick, was placed at Lakeside by MDHHS. A pair of staff members at Lakeside restrained Frederick in the cafeteria and put him in a choke hold for over 12 minutes which caused his death from lack of oxygen.

Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Lakeside Academy

The culture of abuse and neglect at Lakeside Academy put juvenile residents at risk of being sexually abused and assault by staff members and by other residents. Anyone who was a victim of sexual assault during their time at the facility can now file a civil lawsuit against Sequel and get financial compensation. A growing tide of sexual abuse lawsuits are now being filed against private companies like Sequel for negligently failing to protect juveniles at residential treatment facilities from sexual abuse.

Sequel had a legal duty to take reasonable measures to ensure that juvenile residents at Lakeside Academy were kept safe from sexual assault by staff and by other residents. There is a growing body of evidence to show that Sequel chronically neglected this duty in a variety of ways. This means that Sequel can be held liable in civil sex abuse lawsuit.

Michigan Statute of Limitations for Sex Abuse Cases

Under Michigan’s current statute of limitations for civil claims related to the sexual abuse of minors, victims have until 10 years after turning 18 or three years after they “discover” the harm caused by the abuse—whichever is later—to file a claim. However, this law may soon change.

A newly proposed law, recently approved by the Michigan state Senate, aims to significantly relax these restrictions on civil lawsuits involving child sexual abuse. If enacted, the legislation would provide victims much more time to file lawsuits. Additionally, it would introduce a one-year window for revival claims, enabling individuals with previously time-barred cases to pursue legal action.

Settlement Value of Lakeside Academy Abuse Lawsuits

Sexual abuse lawsuits often result in high settlement values due to the profound emotional pain and suffering caused by such acts. However, the settlement value of an individual case depends on several key factors, including:

Strength of Evidence: Cases are more compelling and valuable when victims can provide corroborating evidence beyond their testimony to substantiate claims of abuse.
Severity of Abuse: More severe or violent acts of abuse, such as forcible rape, typically result in higher settlement values because of the significant emotional and psychological damages involved.
Impact on the Victim: The extent of harm caused by the abuse, including physical injuries and long-term psychological effects like PTSD, depression, or anxiety, significantly influences the settlement amount.
Age of the Victim: Cases involving younger victims at the time of the abuse are often associated with higher settlement values.
Defendant’s Liability: The settlement value increases when strong evidence exists of negligence or misconduct by the responsible party, such as a residential treatment facility. This is particularly relevant in cases involving organizations like Acadia Healthcare, where negligence is frequently established.

Contact Us About Lakeside Academy Sex Abuse Lawsuits

We are accepting cases involving sexual abuse of juvenile residents at Lakeside Academy. Contact us online or call us at 800-553-8082.