Lawsuit Information Center
Teens around the country who might be struggling with mental health or behavioral issues are sent to “treatment” centers and programs that have seriously misled parents into believing the centers are for rehabilitation, treatment and education, when in reality many of these students are neglected, and abused sexually, physically, and emotionally. They also face kidnapping to remove them from their homes, forced labor, a lack of education, medication abuse, and damaging isolation from family and peers.
As a result, these survivors suffer serious damages, including suicide, suicidal ideations, PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance misuse, trust issues, physical manifestations of injuries and significant economic loss and damages. The TTI is a $23 billion private industry that is unregulated. The hundreds of programs and facilities are in states across the country and under the parent umbrella of approximately half a dozen to a dozen entities. The abuse has recently been exposed on the Netflix show called The Program and by Paris Hilton, who was forced to attend one of these programs in her teens.
Victims of sexual abuse in rehabilitation or other trouble teen treatment facilities are now fighting back by filing civil lawsuits against the facilities that failed to protect them. Our national sex abuse lawyers are currently investigating and accepting troubled teen and teen rehab sex abuse cases across the country. Contact us at 800-553-8082 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.
Troubled Teen Lawsuit News & Updates:
September 30, 2024 – New CA Law on Troubled Teen Facilities
California now has a new law on the books which seeks to crack down on the trouble teen industry, particularly abuse at residential trouble teen treatment facilities. Governor Gavin Newsome signed the bill into law this week. Paris Hilton was one of the celebrity supports of the law.
September 24, 2024 – Settlement in NC Trouble Teen Camp Lawsuit
A settlement was announced in an ongoing lawsuit by a 12-year-old girl who alleged that she was sexually abused at a troubled teen residential treatment camp in North Carolina called Trails Carolina. The lawsuit claims that the girl was forcibly removed from her house and placed in the legal custody of the camp. Within a week she was sexually assaulted by one of the other teens at the camp. The details of the settlement were not released.
August 3, 2024 – Utah Shuts Down Troubled Teen Facility
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services is taking action to shut down a troubled teen facility based on numerous reports and allegations of systemic abuse. The facility, Maple Lawn Academy, has been under investigation and the target of several lawsuits by former residents who claimed that they were neglected and abused.
June 5, 2024 – Congressional Report on Abuse in Troubled Teen Industry
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a lengthy investigative report detailing the systemic problem of abuse within the troubled teen industry. The report is entitled Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities. It paints a grim picture of what goes on at most treatment facilities for troubled teenagers.
About the Troubled Teen Industry
The troubled teen industry refers to the various programs and facilities that exist for the purpose of “correcting” or controlling troubled teens or teenagers with behavioral issues such as drug addiction, and other mental health problems. Troubled teen facilities use a variety of names such as boot camps, rehabs, reform schools, etc. They are all business that are marketed towards overwhelmed or concerned parents who are desperate to modify their teen’s behavior issues.
Programs and facilities in the Troubled Teen Industry (“TTI”) claim to help resolve all sorts of issues from eating disorders to video game addictions. The primary focus of most facilities, however, is on drug addiction and violent or unruly behavior. Some TTI programs are non-residential, but the most intensive TTI facilities are “resident” based programs. This means that the teens are basically confined against their will much like juvenile inmates in a detention center.
Although TTI facilities and programs come in all shapes and sizes, there are 3 main types that are the most common: boot camps, residential rehab, and wilderness therapy camps.
Boot Camps
Boot camp programs follow a military disciplinary approach to achieve behavioral modifications. All boot camp programs are residential and feature some level of confinement. Teens in the boot camps are basically shocked into submission through harsh treatment and a grueling physical routine similar to what military recruits go through in basic training.
The idea behind boot camps is to force teens to submit and accept authority. Boot camp programs involve detaining juveniles under staff supervision, often in remote locations with little or no administrative oversight. For that reason, teens in boots camps are very vulnerable to sexual abuse by staff members.
Drug Rehabs
Teen drug rehab facilities have become much more popular and common recently compared to boot camps. Teen drug rehabilitation programs are almost always fully “residential” (i.e., the teens are confined in the facility similar to inmates). Drug rehab facilities offer a much “softer” path to behavioral modification. Instead of harsh discipline and physical demands, rehab facilities put teens through intensive group and individual therapy.
Despite being less harsh than boot camps, drug rehab facilities still feature many of the same components that put teens at risk of sexual abuse. Teens in drug rehabs are confined in a residential setting under the supervision of adult staff members. This means that teen residents in these facilities are very vulnerable to predatory staff members, as well as sexually aggressive fellow residents.
Wilderness Therapy
Wilderness therapy programs are a relatively new TTI program. They are basically like “camp” for troubled teens and they aim to use nature as a therapeutic environment to help change behavior. Wilderness camps do not employ harsh disciplinary tactics, but they are similar to boot camps in that the teens in these programs are left under the supervision of staff members in a residential setting far away from any real oversight.
Sexual Abuse in Troubled Teen Programs
Recent reports and investigations have revealed that sexual abuse of teens in residential troubled teen facilities and programs has been a major problem. Teens in these programs are frequently subjected to sexual assault and sexual abuse committed by adult staff members. There have also been cases of teens being sexually assaulted by fellow teen residents in the programs.
Sexual abuse of teens in TTI programs comes in many forms. The primary form is staff members forcing or coercing teens to engage in sexual activity. But abuse was reported in other forms as well, such as invasive strip searches, sexual shaming, grooming, and taking pictures of teens while undressing.
Victims Can File Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against TTI Companies
Teens who have been the victim of sexual abuse or assault at a troubled teen facility or program can file a civil lawsuit against the TTI company and get financial compensation. Companies (whether for-profit or non-profit) who operate TTI facilities or programs like boot camps or drug rehabs have a legal duty to ensure the safety of teens in their care. This includes a duty to protect teens from sexual abuse and assault at the facility.
More and more victims of abuse at TTI programs are now coming forward and filing sex abuse lawsuits. These lawsuits allege that the TTI companies were negligent in a number of ways including: failing to properly screen staff members, failing to investigate complaints of misconduct, and failing to adopt policies and procedures to prevent abuse.
Lawsuits Against Private Abduction Service Companies
When parents decide to send their troubled teen to boot camp or rehab, the teen is often not willing to go voluntarily. In these situations, there are private companies that parents can hire to basically abduct their teen and forcibly remove them from the house and take them to the TTI facility. These companies are basically like private fugitive warrant squads or SWAT teams and their tactics can be extremely traumatic.
These private security companies frequently go over the top and end up physically assaulting the teen during the apprehension process. This can cause very serious mental damage for teens and result in anxiety and PTSD. Teens who are the victims of physical abuse during these apprehensions can potentially file lawsuits against the security companies and get financial compensation.
Troubled Teen Industry Verdicts & Settlements
Below are summaries of settlements and verdicts from lawsuits brought by victims against troubled teen industry defendants.
$50,000,000 Settlement (West Virginia 2023): A group of 32 former students at the Miracle Meadows school agreed to settle their abuse claims for a total of $50 million. The Miracle Meadows school was a facility for troubled teens in West Virginia that was supported by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. It was shut down in 2014 after reports found major issues with neglect and abuse of students.
$1,050,000 Settlement (Missouri 2023): This wrongful death action was brought after a 15-year-old male died while a resident in the defendant home for troubled teens. The plaintiffs contended that the defendant was negligent, failed to timely provide medical care for the decedent who was bitten by a spider and that he was subjected to physical abuse and exertion which contributed to his death.
$1,500,000 Settlement (California 2023): Plaintiff was reportedly a troubled teen who was placed in a residential facility for troubled teens. Plaintiff claimed an employee at the facility manipulated and sexually exploited her and engaged in unlawful sexual activities with her at the facility. Defendant contended it did not have any prior notice of the employee’s potential for such misconduct.
$2,500,000 Verdict (Massachusetts 2021): A 17-year-old female alleged that she suffered years of child abuse when she was sexually molested by the defendant supervisor in the course and scope of his employment at a nonparty facility where she was commited as a troubled teen. The plaintiff contended that the defendants failed to properly supervise its employees with access to troubled minor students entrusted to its care, failed to prevent the sexual abuse of students, and failed to investigate the plaintiff’s claims of abuse.
$1,415,000 Settlement (Minnesota 2021): A group of 17 former residents at Mesabi Academy, a trouble teen treatment facility in northern Minnesota, alleged that they were the victims of severe abuse and neglect during their time at the academy. The details of the alleged abuse were kept confidential. The Mesabi Academy has since been shut down.
Contact Us About Troubled Teen Industry Abuse Lawsuits
We are seeking troubled teen industry abuse cases across the country. Call us at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.