Allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation at residential treatment centers and therapeutic boarding schools that claim to help vulnerable children in their care have resulted in a number of troubled teen industry lawsuits. Sometimes known as exploited teen industry lawsuits to better reflect that the abusers are at fault, not the teenagers who have been harmed, these claims can help hold these institutions accountable and ensure safe and effective treatment standards in the future.
Exploited Teen Industry Abuse
In these cases of exploited teen industry abuse, victims and their families allege these facilities subjected teens to physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological harm, all while claiming to help adolescents in need of guidance and behavioral reformation.
Facilities involved in the “troubled teen” industry include residential treatment centers, drug rehabilitation programs, boot camps, wilderness programs, reform schools, therapeutic boarding schools, youth rehabilitation centers, conversion therapy establishments, and more. At-risk or otherwise “troubled” teens may be placed in these facilities by well-meaning parents or guardians, child welfare agencies, or the juvenile justice system, only to be subjected to abuse while in their care.
If your child has suffered in one of these programs, our team is here to provide compassionate and experienced legal support to fight for their rights and recovery.
Harm in the Troubled Teen Industry and Its Impact
Abuse at troubled teen industry programs can include:
- Insufficient medical care
- Lack of supervision
- Medication errors
- Mental and emotional abuse including verbal abuse, yelling, cursing, insulting, and humiliating patients
- Neglect
- Overmedication or misuse of medication
- Physical abuse such as punching, dragging, throwing, or slamming children against the floor or walls and more
- Poorly maintained facilities including insufficient access to clean water or bedding
- Restraint
- Seclusion/Isolation
- Sexual abuse
- Sleep deprivation
- Suicide and other self-harm
- Unsanitary conditions
- Wrongful death
- …and more
Side effects of trauma and abuse in the exploited teen industry can include anxiety, stress, self-harm, eating disorders, persistent injuries due to abuse suffered while in the care of a troubled teen facility, engagement in risky behaviors, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identity issues, and even death.
Who Can File a Troubled Teen Abuse Lawsuit?
Individuals who suffered mistreatment and abuse during their time in a facility such as an adolescent residential treatment center or wilderness program may be able to file a troubled teen industry lawsuit.
Additionally, family members and loved ones of someone who was injured or died due to abuse at a program may be eligible to file an exploited teen industry claim. Anyone who may have been harmed by the troubled teen industry or their loved ones acting on their behalf should contact a legal representative without delay to determine their options.
Work With Phillips Law Group
The team at Phillips Law Group may be able to help you file a troubled teen industry lawsuit. We have been in business and acted as a trusted legal voice in the Arizona community for more than 30 years and have taken on abuse cases in the past. We know what it means to advocate for survivors of abuse and know how to fight for your rights with sensitivity and empathy.
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation that is completely confidential. You owe us nothing unless our team takes on your case and ultimately recovers damages on your behalf.
Please call us now to learn more. We want to help you seek justice if you were harmed in a facility that is part of the “troubled teen” industry. Contact us at 602-222-2222 to find out more today.
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