Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Teen in Treatment Center

By John Hollenhorst
KSL-TV5


A California girl is observing her 17th birthday in Utah today, claiming she's being held against her will inside a residential treatment facility in Draper. A lawsuit filed by the girl's friend in federal court raises a troubling issue: Should minors be able to overrule parents if they think their decisions are abusive?

Actually, we don't even know if the girl herself is aware of the lawsuit. It was filed by an attorney working for the girl's boyfriend's mother. The lawsuit claims the girl was abducted off the street in Oakland by someone working for her mother and is now being held, incommunicado, in a residential treatment facility in Draper.

Youth Care of Utah is hidden on a private street behind an RV business in Draper. We were politely asked to leave and given no information. Later though, company officials confirmed the status of a California girl who turned 17 today.

David Terbest, Youth Care Spokesman: “Yes, she is a patient in our facility.”

The growing facility houses and treats troubled teens, usually sent there by parents.

David Terbest: "They might be chemically dependent students, they might be students that have behavioral issues with their family."

But the lawyer who filed suit to get the California teen out says she's there because her mother paid a huge sum of money to have her locked up, something she couldn't legally do herself.

Thomas Burton, Attorney: "No parent can lock up a child for an indefinite period of time in a basement in order to keep them under control. And that's basically what is happening here."

He denies she's a drug user, and says the Utah facility may not be the best place for her.

Thomas Burton: “She’s of an age to have some say about it.”

David Terbest: "We have a highly accredited staff, masters level individuals. We have therapists, psychiatrists."

The facility is licensed, regulated and inspected by the state. And state officials told us the operation has a good record.

The attorney claims the girls' constitutional rights to liberty and privacy are being violated. But he admits he hasn't even spoken to her.

Thomas Burton: "We wish we could. I went out there and knocked on the door and asked to talk to her. But I was refused."

The attorney says he was hired by the girl's boyfriend's mother who is also is a practicing therapist. He said he believes she's communicated with the girl, but he's not sure how.

Meanwhile, the company that runs the facility says it isn't truly a lockup. The doors open from inside. But they admit an alarm would sound and staff would try to physically restrain a patient trying to run away.