Hendrickson & Long Continues Fight as New Miracle Meadows Suits Proceed
Charleston, WV, United States, June 7, 2022 — Hendrickson & Long PLLC, in an effort to hold those who hurt our children accountable, pushing new lawsuits forward recently against Miracles Meadows. R. Scott Long of Hendrickson & Long, PLLC, along with co-counsel Jesse Forbes of Forbes Law Offices PLLC and Brian Kent and Guy D’Andrea of Laffey, Bucci & Kent LLP in Philadelphia, Pa., succeeded in consolidating 14 cases alleging mental, sexual and/or physical abuse by former students against Miracle Meadows, meaning those 14 cases will all proceed in Kanawha County Circuit Court. Those 14 cases are included in the 25 cases of abuse against Miracle Meadows outstanding.
Previously, Long advocated for twenty-nine former students at the Miracle Meadows School in Salem, W.Va., who were also child victims of serious sexual and physical abuse, and settled their claims for a total of $51.9 million dollars following years of litigation against the school.
As alleged in the filed lawsuits, Miracle Meadows was a Christian boarding school for boys and girls, 6 to 17 years of age, who are experiencing difficulty relating in a positive way to family, school, church, or community. Specifically, Miracle Meadows enrolled boys and girls who were experiencing defiance, dishonesty, school failure, trouble with the law, spiritual disinterest, poor social skills, adoption issues and other behavior that is harmful to them and to others.
Some of the children, according to the lawsuits, were often sent to solitary confinement without bathrooms, forced to perform manual labor, sexually assaulted, chained to beds and deprived of food and water.
In August of 2014, police raided the facility and removed 19 children. As a result, Director of Miracle Meadows, Susan Gayle Clark, was arrested and pleaded guilty to child neglect, failure to report and obstruction of justice in February 2016. She was sentenced two months later.
Children and their families have continued to come forward since, thanks in part to changes in law that protect victims at Miracle Meadows. On March 25, 2020, Governor Jim Justice signed into law a bill allowing victims up to the Age of 36 or 4 years after discovery of the sexual assault or sexual abuse, whichever is longer, to pursue litigation against perpetrators and private organizations. Additionally, victims may now sue any person or organization which aided, abetted, or concealed the sexual assault or abuse. If a victim is in this new range up to the age of 36, the previous claim is revived until the victim, yourself or your loved one, turns age-36, even if previously denied. Hendrickson & Long is now helping those hurt with their claims in order to finally, and justly, attempt to hold institutions, like Miracle Meadows, institutional abusers, like Clark, and their enablers accountable.
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About Hendrickson & Long PLLC
Over the past two decades, Hendrickson & Long, PLLC, has grown into a comprehensive, litigation-oriented law firm with attorneys and staff working out of its centrally located office in the heart of West Virginia’s capital city. Since its inception, H&L has established a superior and varied client base. The firm is counsel for individuals, local West Virginia businesses, national and international companies and is recognized as one of the most progressive legal establishments in the state. H&L has specialized experience and expertise in complex case management, the innovative use of technology, the coordination of multi-jurisdictional discovery efforts and document work, handling class-action litigation and the trial of consolidated cases. The firm’s attorneys have served as national counsel to Fortune 100 companies in industry-wide litigation.
MEDIA AND PRESS INQUIRIES
Direct all inquiries to Scott Long at scott@handl.com and 304-346-5500.
