CHARLESTON – A settlement totaling about $100 million has been reached to end dozens of civil lawsuits against Miracle Meadows School filed by former students who say they were abused at the private boarding school.
The settlement is believed to be the largest for such cases in the state, according to plaintiff’s attorneys who handled the cases. They say the agreement was reached collectively with various defendants and finalized this month.
The $100 million total includes settlements for all cases resolved to date – about 60 – since the initial civil filing in 2017, including a 2020 settlement of $51.9 million. Nearly all of the cases had been consolidated and pending in Kanawha Circuit Court before Judge Joanna Tabit.
Jesse W. Forbes
| forbeslawwv.com
The plaintiffs in the settled cases have been represented by Guy D’Andrea is with Laffey Bucci & Kent in Philadelphia, Jesse Forbes is with Forbes Law Offices in Charleston and Scott Long is with Hendrickson & Long in Charleston.
“The abuses suffered by these children wouldn’t be believed in a Stephen King novel,” Forbes said. “To know that they actually happened in the West Virginia hills is absolutely devastating. Children deserve to be loved, nurtured and treated with care, not handcuffed, abused and thrown in isolations cells with a coffee can for a bathroom.
“To do this once is beyond shocking but to do it to hundreds of children for decades is truly unfathomable.”
There still are nearly 100 Miracle Meadows cases that haven’t been settled. Most of those are being handled by Ben Salango of Salango Law in Charleston and Brett Preston and Dan Snuffer of WVLawyer in Charleston. Salango told The West Virginia Record his team is “actively negotiating” those cases now, but no resolution has been reached.
The plaintiffs in all of the cases accused the defendants of bodily injury, sexual abuse, invasion of privacy, false imprisonment, education malpractice and other wrongful acts while at the Seventh-day Adventist boarding school located in Salem in Harrison County.
The complaints also mention child abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, quarantine, malnutrition, child labor law violations, mistreatment, isolationism, corporal punishment, neglect, starvation, emotional distress and mental anguish.
The complaints refer to students being placed in so-called quarantine rooms, which are described as “small, windowless rooms without plumbing, heating or cooling, and the only light switch is located on the outside of the room and frequently shut off, leaving the minor child alone in the dark and cold while hungry and thirsty.”
The rooms were either 4x10 or 5x8, according to the complaints. The children were only given a bucket to use as a toilet, and they often weren’t given toilet paper. Their meals while in quarantine usually were bread and fruit or rice and beans.
Some of the children were placed in these quarantine rooms for weeks or months at a time, the complaints state.
The complaints also say the school adhered, spoiled and hid evidence by removing and destroying documents and installing windows in the formerly windowless rooms. They also say staff members knew of the abuse but did nothing to prevent it or report it as required by law.
The plaintiffs say they suffer from significant physical and emotional hard and vocational impairment because of their time at Miracle Meadows. They say the defendants’ conduct endangered their health, safety and welfare.
All the while, they say Miracle Meadows charged tuition and promoted itself as an educational provider.
In 2020, a similar lawsuit filed by 29 former Miracle Meadows students settled for $51.9 million.
The school was open from 1987 to 2014. Authorities raided and closed it in 2014 after one of the students poisoned themselves with a cleaning agent. School officials were forced to take the student for medical help, and the student was able to be alone with medical staff and beg for help. That prompted a report to authorities and an investigation that began to uncover the abuses.
The school’s director, Susan Gayle Clark, was convicted of child neglect and failing to report in Harrison County. She was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation.
“This isn't merely about monetary compensation,” said Guy D’Andrea, one of the attorneys involved in the $100 million settlement. “It's a resounding cry that shatters the walls of institutions hiding behind deceit. Every penny of this settlement symbolizes the stolen innocence, the muted screams, and the countless tears that every one of our clients experienced at such a young age.
“Our children deserved better, and today, they reclaim a piece of their dignity. Even as a former homicide prosecutor I found these atrocities to be beyond anything imaginable. These children suffered through abuses that no person should ever encounter. Their ability to persevere through such a tragic environment is a true testament to their spirit and strength.”
Long, another plaintiff’s attorney, said the work was a group effort.
“The indomitable spirit of the victims, the relentless support of their families, and our shared dedication to achieving justice have all culminated in this momentous settlement,” he said. “This is a testament not only to how truly horrible these circumstances were but also to how resilient these children have been and continue to be to help spread this message and hopefully help stop abuses that might be occurring in other schools and institutions.”