CHANGE ACADEMY AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS (CALO) SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS 

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) in Missouri

Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri allegedly failed to protect youth from physical and sexual abuse, with allegations dating back to 2014. 

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri were abused while in residential care.

Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, also known as CALO, is a for-profit residential treatment center located in Lake Ozark, Missouri, owned by Embark Behavioral Health, a private equity-backed company. The facility specializes in treating adopted youth with developmental trauma and has treated children from more than 30 states, with costs often funded by taxpayers through Medicaid, school district funds, and child welfare agencies. 

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

History of Abuse at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) in Missouri

Examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In June 2026, it was reported that fifteen former youth residents had filed lawsuits against Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) in Missouri, alleging physical, emotional, and sexual abuse dating back to 2014.

The lawsuits alleged that staff threw youths to the ground, denied them medical treatment, and withheld food. Staff allegedly knew of physical and sexual assaults but failed to take appropriate action. 

Missouri’s Department of Social Services documented five findings of physical abuse and five findings of sexual abuse involving the facility over a 20-year period.

Camden County sheriff’s records spanning 2014 to 2024 showed more than 400 calls, including reports of runaways, assaults, and at least eight reports of youth-on-youth sexual abuse. Multiple families alleged the facility failed to notify them or properly report the incidents to authorities. Records also showed that in 2021, a student alleged she was sexually assaulted on campus by a male employee.

CBS News reported that at least four former CALO employees were convicted of crimes committed while working at the facility, including sexually assaulting residents and possessing child pornography. 

• In May 2026, an Associated Press investigation revealed that Illinois agencies alone had spent more than $35 million over the past decade sending children to CALO, despite the state never having visited the facility. 

In a May 2024 inspection, Illinois officials were allegedly denied access to staff and records and witnessed an employee training that lacked any clear therapeutic basis.

The investigation also reported that in 2020, a young boy was allegedly racially bullied and sexually assaulted by another resident. In 2022, Missouri’s Department of Social Services ordered CALO to turn over five missing incident files, pointing to its failure to properly report incidents. In 2024, two mothers alleged their underage daughters were sexually assaulted by another resident, and that the facility failed to report the abuse to authorities or notify them.

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Missouri Sexual Abuse Attorneys

In Missouri, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have a limited amount of time to pursue civil lawsuits and damages. This statute of limitations varies depending on whether lawsuits are brought against abusers or institutions.

The statute of limitations for claims brought against abusers is:

• Within 10 years from the date a survivor turns 21; or
• Within three years from the date a survivor discovers injuries caused by their childhood sexual abuse (i.e. depression, addiction, incarceration, etc.).

Survivors have even less time to file claims against institutions that failed to protect them from abuse. Filing claims against responsible entities is nearly always preferable because institutional defendants have the financial means and insurance to fairly compensate victims.

In claims brought against entities, survivors must bring their suits:

• Before the age of 26; or
• Within three years from the date they discover the connection between their abuse and resulting damages.

However, as in other states, Missouri has seen growing momentum to change the statute of limitations in civil sexual abuse cases. That’s because research resoundingly agrees that survivors of sexual abuse often take decades to process their abuse and its impact on their lives. According to Child USA, a nonprofit think tank, the average age that victims report childhood sexual abuse is 52.

Recognizing the challenges survivors face in processing abuse, and how short statutes of limitations function as a barrier to justice more often than not, Missouri lawmakers have proposed a measure to give survivors greater opportunities to seek justice.

If passed, the pending law would:

• Extend the civil statute of limitations for child victims to age 55.
• Create a temporary two-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Missouri youth residential treatment facilities and juvenile detention centers.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.