MONTANA YOUTH RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITY SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Montana Residential Treatment Facilities

Troubled youth are taken away from their homes and sent to treatment facilities located in Montana to supposedly get help. Unfortunately, reports show that some of them face terrible conditions during their stay, including sexual abuse. 

At Levy Konigsberg, we are committed to seeking justice for survivors of abuse at these facilities. If you or a loved one has been affected, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation.

History of Sexual Abuse in Montana Youth Residential Treatment Centers

In June 2024, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a sweeping report detailing abuse at residential treatment facilities operated by major healthcare companies, including Acadia Healthcare, which operated one such facility in Montana. The report revealed systemic sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, unsafe conditions, inhumane confinement practices, and neglect throughout these facilities.

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

Acadia Montana

• In April 2019, police investigated the allegations of sexual assault between youth residents. The facility allegedly failed to properly report incidents of abuse and neglect, prompting further scrutiny from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

• In July 2022, a shocking incident at Acadia Montana came to light when a 9-year-old child was allegedly injected with antihistamines as a punishment for misbehavior during her stay in 2019. 

• In March 2020, another report detailed how a 9-year-old girl from Oregon was found after nearly six months in a state of extreme neglect. The child was unwashed, her hair uncombed, and was dressed in an oversized scrub and paper hospital booties. 

Over several months, the young girl endured repeated physical restraints by staff, was locked in isolation rooms, and subjected to sedation.

• In August 2019, a former resident recalled that the facility frequently subjected her roommate to solitary confinement, recounting that,upon the girl’s return from one such incident, the roommate appeared unresponsive and “like a vegetable.” The former resident later suspected her roommate was being drugged, based on subsequent reports about the facility’s practices. 

On one occasion, her roommate repeatedly banged her head against the wall. Staff failed to intervene, leaving other residents to step in and place their hands between the wall and the girl’s head to prevent further injury.

Reflections Academy

• In 2019, Reflections Academy faced three lawsuits within three months for failing to protect teenage girls from grooming and sexual assault by a long-time employee. 

Monarch School

• In April 2020, investigators reported that upon students at Monarch School were required to disclose details of their sexual history to staff. 

Additionally, a practice known as “smooshing” was enforced, involving mandatory forced physical intimacy among peers and staff. Testimonies detailed staff members, including middle-aged male employees, participating in these activities with teenage female students.

Ranch for Kids

• In December 2020, a report revealed physical and verbal abuse at the Ranch for Kids, including alleged failure to report sexual abuse between youth and individuals who had direct access to the youth.

The report also cited insufficient training of staff on mandatory abuse reporting laws. 

The report further alleged that children at the facility were forced to go  on “disciplinary walks” at night, through the wilderness, where they lacked proper clothing and shoes, and that the children were given very little food and were often denied medical care and contact with parents. 

Spring Creek Lodge Academy

• In September 2003, the New York Times reported on allegations of sexual abuse, physical violence, and psychological duress at Spring Creek Lodge Academy.

Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch

• In July 2025, John Wesley Whiteside, a former Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch employee, was charged with sexually abusing three underage girls at the facility. Whiteside was charged with four felonies and two misdemeanors related to the sexual abuse of minors.  According to court documents, after a female resident disclosed inappropriate behavior by Whiteside to a therapist in May 2025, Yellowstone police began investigating Whiteside.  A 14-year-old girl alleged that Whiteside wrapped his arm around her and groped her breast.  A 15-year-old girl alleged that Whiteside make inappropriate comments to her and once walked in while she was changing and tried to put his hand down her pants.  A 16-year-old girl alleged that Whiteside grabbed her backside multiple times and had inappropriate, sexualized conversations with multiple girls.  Whiteside reportedly worked at the boys and girls ranch for about a month, from April 2025 through May 2025.

• In July 2018, a Montana jury awarded $300,000 to the mother of a 10-year-old boy. The mother had alleged that Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch failed to protect her son from sexual abuse by other residents. The jury found the Ranch liable for negligent supervision and misrepresentation.

The lawsuit alleged that over a seven-month period, another boy repeatedly exposed himself and acted inappropriately toward the victim. The lawsuit further alleged that the facility’s staff had assured the victim’s mother that they did not accept residents with histories of sexual misconduct.

• In February 2025, Timothy Allen Westervelt, ex-staff at the facility, was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts for allegedly molesting two girls at the facility.

Investigating Sexual Abuse at Montana Residential Treatment Facilities

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating abuse allegations at the Montana residential treatment facilities, including:

• Acadia Montana
• Monarch School
• Ranch for Kids
• Reflections Academy
• Spring Creek Lodge Academy
• Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch
• Shodair Children’s Hospital

If you or someone you know experienced abuse at these or similar institutions, contact our experienced attorneys today.

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

Montana Sexual Abuse Attorneys

The statute of limitations is a law that limits the amount of time you have to start a legal case after something wrong or illegal has happened. Under current Montana law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse typically have until age 27 to file civil lawsuits.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Montana youth residential treatment facilities.

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.