Lawsuit claims Idaho wilderness therapy program strip-searched teen, allowed abuse
An Oregon-based wilderness therapy program that operates in Idaho has been accused of abuse, neglect and fraud by a former program member, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court last week.
The plaintiff, who is identified only as T.M. in a complaint because he was a minor at the time the alleged incidents occurred, said he and other attendees at blueFire Wilderness Therapy programs were illegally strip-searched and subjected to “sexual abuse, forced labor and other traumatic experiences.”
BlueFire did not respond to a request for comment.
The program offers “outdoor therapy programs” to children ages 11 to 17 and adults ages 18 to 28, according to its website. It says its wilderness adventures center around multiday outdoor treks in Southern Idaho based out of a “base camp” where participants do equine and group therapy.
The company’s website says blueFire programs are geared toward kids who are “making dangerous or unhealthy choices,” struggling with school, using drugs or alcohol, lying to or manipulating family, depressed or “creating chaos” at home, among other behaviors.
The lawsuit alleges that blueFire’s claims of therapeutic programs are fraudulent and said instead that the company is part of what’s sometimes called the “troubled teen industry.” The name has been given to residential youth facilities that have faced scrutiny for decades over allegations of abuse and neglect, according to critics.
The complaint, which also named blueFire funder Opal Creek Capital and 10 unnamed employees of the wilderness therapy program as defendants, said T.M. suffered permanent damages from his time in the program.
The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the District of Idaho, alleges neglect, false imprisonment, battery, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress and child abuse. T.M. is asking for a jury trial and compensation of at least $75,000, as well as attorney fees.
Lawsuit: Idaho wilderness therapy caused teen PTSD
T.M.’s lawsuit said he was 14 years old when his parents enrolled him over behavioral concerns into blueFire, where wilderness therapy programs could cost “in excess of $30,000.”
The complaint document said T.M. was strip-searched upon his entry into the blueFire program despite Idaho law prohibiting strip or body-cavity searches of children. The lawsuit said such searches were the company’s policy.
T.M.’s complaint claims multiple employees were present during the search and denied him a towel when he asked for one to cover himself, then stood by as one employee pulled him into the room and sexually assaulted him when he tried to cover himself by turning toward a wall.
The lawsuit said the teen was then isolated from peers, deprived of basic needs and kept from communicating freely with his parents. T.M. allegedly lost 40 pounds during the 44 days he was in the blueFire program despite entering the program without weight issues or eating disorders.
The complaint said T.M. suffered permanent damage from his time in the program, including “trauma, flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“Defendants’ executives, employees, agents and contractors have been aware of these dangers for years and have repeatedly failed to report it to child protection services, state/local authorities or law enforcement,” the lawsuit said.
