$485,000,000

Foster Care / Sexual Assault

Jury Verdict (Settled for $200 Million)

 

G.S. v. Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.

This was a child sexual abuse case against Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. Acadia owns residential treatment centers across the country. In New Mexico, it owned Desert Hills. Desert Hills managed and controlled Familyworks, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that was licensed by the State of New Mexico to be a treatment foster care agency.

Familyworks placed 7-year old G.S. in a foster home, despite having notice of prior allegations of sexual abuse of children against one of the foster parents, Clarence Garcia. Garcia repeatedly raped G.S., and multiple other foster children who were placed in the home.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019. During litigation, we learned that Familyworks had falsified records it provided to the state. Evidence of this fraud was contained on a computer server that Acadia maintained and controlled. Despite the court ordering Acadia to preserve and produce the evidence, Acadia destroyed the evidence, destroying 23 95-gallon containers of paper. The court struck Acadia’s answer as to liability.

Trial began on June 27, 2023, and ended on July 7, 2023. The jury returned a verdict of $485 million, broken down as follows:

$80 million compensatory damages

$250 million punitive damages against Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.

$75 million punitive damages against Youth & Family Centered Services, Inc., d/b/a Desert Hills

$75 million punitive damages against Familyworks, Inc.

$5 million punitive damages against Clarence Garcia

Claggett & Sykes trial counsel – Sean Claggett (lead trial attorney), Geordan Logan, Jennifer Morales, Sam Harding