LEBANON — Haven Murdock says she was only 13 years old when her parents took her to a Lebanon faith-based program, which at the time was called the Central Indiana Teen Challenge.
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“I was depressed, I had suicidal ideation and self-harm including an eating disorder,” said Murdock.
But she says the program did nothing to help her mental health issues.
“If anything, it added to it severely,” said Murdock.
Haven Murdock, now 28, is one of nine women who filed a federal lawsuit last week against Central Indiana Teen Challenge, which is currently operating under the name The Refuge Girls Academy.
The lawsuit alleges “systemic abuse, neglect, trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor” at the facility between 2011 and 2018.
“It was awful, it was very stressful,” said Murdock.
Murdock was a resident at the facility between 2011 and 2014.
She and other residents claim the staff forced them to eat moldy, outdated food.
“We had to finish our entire plate, regardless if we were sick or not within 20 minutes,” said Murdock. “Girls would often be shoveling their face with food and then puking in the trash can.”
She said she was only allowed to have limited communication with her family.
“I can count on one hand the number of times I was able to see my family throughout the three years,” said Murdock.
The lawsuit alleges the staff listened in on phone calls.
“If we tried to tell our family about how we were being treated there, we would be punished even more or demoted which would extend our stay,” said Murdock.
The lawsuit said Murdock and other girls were subjected to pelvic exams prior to their arrival to check for pregnancy and STDs.
Murdock said she was only 13 years old when she had a pelvic exam.
“I cried the whole time,” said Murdock. “I didn't know I was being sent to this place so I didn't really know why I had to do it. I did not want to do it. I made that very clear."
She said the worst part of the program was the isolation room.
“You're just supposed to sit there in this empty room as they watch you on a camera and watch you do nothing but stare at the wall,” said Murdock. “The longest I was in there was a month. It was horrible. It was humiliating.”
Murdock said she didn’t report the alleged abuse to anyone because she didn’t think anyone would believe her.
“We were told and our parents were told that we were troubled girls so of course we were going to lie,” said Murdock. “Nothing we say should be believable. If we tried to tell our family about how we were being treated, then we were punished even more or demoted which would extend our stay.”
Murdock’s attorney, Greg Laker at CohenMalad LLP, said the program’s leadership claimed their rules were “God’s will.”
“They had a system of threats and coercion to force compliance with the rules,” said Laker. “What really sticks out to me about this case is the consistency of reports from client to client to client.”
Laker said a 2022 federal law (Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2022) eliminated the statute of limitations on claims like these, which is why they’re filing the lawsuit in 2026.
WRTV Investigates sent an email to the facility and left a voicemail, which currently has an outgoing message as “Central Indiana Teen Challenge.”
Their attorney, Jeffrey Roberts, provided the following statement to WRTV Investigates:
"The Refuge Girls Academy, like the other facilities in the Indiana Adult and Teen Challenge family, has a long history of achieving positive, life-changing, and, in many instances, life-saving results for countless individuals who have participated in its treatment programs, as so many of them would attest.
This mission and the dedication to helping individuals recover from addiction and life-controlling behaviors will not be daunted by law firms using the media to scour the country for opportunistic claims to bring against “troubled teen industry” organizations. The new lawsuit purports to arise from events dating back, in most alleged instances, well over a decade. The lawsuit equates the Lebanon, Indiana, faith-based addiction treatment, chosen for these plaintiffs by their parents or guardians, to human trafficking and criminal “conspiracy,” all to save claims that we believe would otherwise be summarily dismissible by the court. The complaint is comprised of allegations that are unproven and unverified.
Even once we review the complaint in detail, we would prefer not to litigate this case in the media. Our client will file a response to these allegations with the court as the rules allow and intends to aggressively defend itself against the claims."
WRTV Investigates also reviewed recent tax filings for the faith-based program.
It shows more than $3 million in revenue, with a good chunk of that brought in through fundraising efforts.
According to the lawsuit, the women allege they were forced to work at fundraising events and give personal testimonials at rallies to raise funds.
WRTV Investigates also checked with several state agencies, including the Indiana Department of Health and the Family and Social Services Administration.
Both IDOH and FSSA said they have no oversight or authority over this program.
Haven Murdock said she’s speaking out to give other girls the courage to speak up.
“I sincerely hope that if there are any desperate families who are considering sending their child to Teen Challenge, or other facilities like it, that they will reconsider and instead seek an evidence-based approach to help their child, rather than falling prey to those who profit off of the pain and suffering of minors,” said Murdock.
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