LEBANON, Ind.— Nine women have filed a lawsuit against a faith-based residential program for teen girls alleging they were subjected to abuse, forced labor and exploitation.
The women, as minors, were residents of the Central Indiana Teen Challenge from various time periods ranging from 2011 to 2018.
The lawsuit, filed on April 8 in federal court, alleges the girls were subjected to forced isolation, including being placed in a “safe room” for extended periods, sometimes up to 30 days, without human contact.
In their lawsuit the women claim they were forced to eat under extreme conditions, including being required to continue eating even while vomiting, and being served moldy, stale and outdated food.
The facility currently operates as The Refuge Girls Academy.
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."
The law firm CohenMalad LLP in Indianapolis represents all nine women.
“Our clients were subjected to extensive forced labor, often for hours each day, including cleaning facilities and kitchens, performing landscaping and outdoor labor in extreme conditions, working on the private property of program leadership, and performing unpaid labor for outside organizations and church events,” read a statement. “In some instances, our clients allege they were forced to perform dangerous labor without training, including using heavy equipment. They further allege they were required to cut grass ‘on hands and knees with child safety scissors, for hours on end.’”
CITC is part of the larger troubled teen industry, which is a nationwide network of purported therapeutic programs marketed to so-called “troubled teens,” read the lawsuit.
Teen Challenge USA is a missionary department of the Assemblies of God U.S. Missions.
The lawsuit also describes religious coercion as a method of control. CohenMalad LLP said their clients were told their suffering was “God’s will,” and that questioning the program meant questioning God itself.
WRTV Investigates reached out to Assemblies of God U.S. Missions via email and we are waiting to hear back.
