Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Hyde Schools
Joe Gauld... on Education
Anonymous:
--- Quote from: ""Surfer Mouse"" ---Maybe we can discuss this face to face over a game of golf and dinner at the country club?
--- End quote ---
Are you picking up the tab?
Joe
Surfer Mouse:
The merits of any law suite and particularly a more complicated and difficult class action law suite
are certainly open for debate and best commented upon by a lawyer. The law suite against Academy at Ivy Ridge appears to involve some flagrant violations most prominent being awarding fake high school diplomas. The perception I question and challenge is that Hyde is immune to being sued because of their political connections or because of how they define what they are doing as c"haracter education" as opposed to "family/individual therapy".
Law suites have been filed in the past and settled out of court. Clearly there are lawyers in the state of Maine who dare to undertake a law suite against Hyde. I would be interested in knowing how may times law suites have been filed against Hyde and the outcome/resolution of these law suites and what the complaint was that formed the basis of the law suites.
If people can hold MacDonald’s responsible over spilled hot coffee then it seems to me that Hyde School can be held responsible too.
Hyde utilizes encounter group psychotherapy run by staff who have no counseling/mental health training or supervision. The type of group therapy work they use has been seen as potentially dangerous when done by under qualified group leaders. Hyde does not use informed consent to explain to students & parents what they should really expect, nor does it respect issues of confidentiality when encouraging/coercing people to divulge sensitive, personal, traumatic issues. When some students react poorly to this approach they are asked to leave the school with out any appropriate referral to follow up professional services to deal with the negative aftermath which is tantamount to client abandonment. Hyde has a history of not employing trained counselors or mental health professionals in spite of clearly being a school that takes in troubled youth with serious family issues, substance abuse issues, emotional difficulties, and some times previously diagnosed mental health issues. All in all the fundamental operations of Hyde School could be viewed as not following “reasonable and accepted standards of care”.
Of course Hyde School would say that this is all part of “Character Education” vs “Therapy”. Call it what you may but if no appropriate safeguards are not in place to address the potential for emotional trauma and suffering caused by these techniques then Hyde School and individual staff responsible should be sued, and sued repeatedly until things change.
Anonymous:
--- Quote ---The merits of any law suite and particularly a more complicated and difficult class action law suite
are certainly open for debate and best commented upon by a lawyer.
--- End quote ---
That's your opinion. At this moment I have three lawyers working for me. all on civil matters. Asking a lawyer if you should engage in litigation, (when you are paying an hourly rate) is like asking a prostitute if you should have sex with her/him. The merits of a suit just as the desirability of sex are best judged by the buyer.
--- Quote ---The law suite against Academy at Ivy Ridge appears to involve some flagrant violations most prominent being awarding fake high school diplomas.
--- End quote ---
The ground work for this suit were layed by the best run AG office in the history of the State of New York. I predict Eliot will be president of the US
--- Quote ---The perception I question and challenge is that Hyde is immune to being sued because of their political connections or because of how they define what they are doing as c"haracter education" as opposed to "family/individual therapy".
--- End quote ---
Hyde is not immune from suit. Playing Lawyer is not hard. I brought suit against a lawyer (IANAL) pro se and prevailed. Go file a suit. Really I would like to see some one do it, but unless you can get a lawyer take your case on spec (for an agreed % of the final take) you are looking at carrying at lest one lawyer and support staff for years. Looked at lawyer fee's lately? In either of the markets you would bring suit against Hyde you are looking at fees @~ 200 - 500 /hr. Got cash?
--- Quote ---Law suites have been filed in the past and settled out of court. Clearly there are lawyers in the state of Maine who dare to undertake a law suite against Hyde.
--- End quote ---
Sure on a case by case basis, where the facts are not really contestable . To lay the foundation of a class action you would have to lay the ground work of those facts. 'Is hyde playing shrink without a license and has it caused harm" there is a lot of work there. Alot of interviews. Most of the cases would have to be deposed in states other than Maine. Travel expenses! Who is the class? Clearly the families that feel hyde has done well are not harmed. Who was harmed? Hey guess what? All the kids/parents that are going to be part of the class were screwed up before they got there. You are not going to find that the Virgin Mary went to Hyde and was gang raped by Gaulds. You are going to be in a very grey area.
--- Quote ---If people can hold MacDonald’s responsible over spilled hot coffee then it seems to me that Hyde School can be held responsible too.
--- End quote ---
This is the oft quote example to demonstrate that the tort system need to be reformed. The piece you do not hear is MacDonalds had been warned that thier coffee was too hot by other people. The facts were out there. The temp of coffee is a pretty is pretty easy to quantify. Is suzy that was huffing spray paint and blowing guys befhnd the 7/11 for a bottle of Thunderbird before she went to hyde really more screwed up now?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_coffee_case
--- Quote ---Hyde utilizes encounter group psychotherapy run by staff who have no counseling/mental health training or supervision. The type of group therapy work they use has been seen as potentially dangerous when done by under qualified group leaders. Hyde does not use informed consent to explain to students & parents what they should really expect, nor does it respect issues of confidentiality when encouraging/coercing people to divulge sensitive, personal, traumatic issues. When some students react poorly to this approach they are asked to leave the school with out any appropriate referral to follow up professional services to deal with the negative aftermath which is tantamount to client abandonment. Hyde has a history of not employing trained counselors or mental health professionals in spite of clearly being a school that takes in troubled youth with serious family issues, substance abuse issues, emotional difficulties, and some times previously diagnosed mental health issues. All in all the fundamental operations of Hyde School could be viewed as not following “reasonable and accepted standards of care”.
Of course Hyde School would say that this is all part of “Character Education” vs “Therapy”. Call it what you may but if no appropriate safeguards are not in place to address the potential for emotional trauma and suffering caused by these techniques then Hyde School and individual staff responsible should be sued, and sued repeatedly until things change.
--- End quote ---
I would not argue. Now prove it, in court to a jury.
Anonymous:
Just one more thing to add. If you do this in the Dirigo State you will have to sully the reputation of an institution that folks like Ed Muskie , Mitchell have lent their credibility to. It is not a career builder for a young aspiring lawyer. You will not get an established firm do this.
Ursus:
Do you honestly think that Muskie, Mitchell et al have tied up all of their credibility with Hyde?
There is indeed a critical mass of rumble necessary, a threshold that must be reached, and then I think you'll see people distance themselves, claiming "regrettable ignorance" and the indignities of being misled.
Taking a case on spec, i.e., contingency, usually runs about 30% or a third, depends...
Some attorneys chomp at the bit for cases that may end up being ground-breakers, or stand a good chance to be cited in subsequent (other) ones, i.e., setting legal precedent.
It's not always just the money; there's also the "fame," and let us not forget plain old wanting to do the right thing. Believe it or not, that is why a substantial percentage of people usually go to law school in the first place.
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