Behavioral Research Institute

Lawsuits

• Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Inc. v. Commissioners of the Department of Developmental Services and the Department of Early Education and Care Unknown | Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bristol, ss Probate and Family Court Department | 86E-0018-GI Names this facility

  Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging emergency orders and licensing actions taken by the state Office for Children that sought to suspend the license of a residential facility for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and restrict its use of behavioral intervention techniques. The parties entered into a consent decree in 1987, which regulated the facility's operations and oversight. Years later, defendants filed a motion to vacate the consent decree under Rule 60(b)(5), arguing that the original purposes of the decree had been fulfilled, that a change in circumstances and professional standards regarding aversive interventions rendered continued enforcement inequitable, and that the decree infringed upon executive functions under the doctrine of separation of powers.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

News coverage

• 

  HuffPost Dec 22, 2016 Expose

  Call to End Use of Electric Shock at Judge Rotenberg Center

  The article reports that the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts, employed aversive electric shock devices and physical restraints on residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It cites testimony and advocacy group protests, noting concerns about potential trauma, health effects, and violations of international anti‑torture standards.

Research notes

• Added 2026-10-01 by the news scan from: HuffPost, "Abuse is Not the Answer: Shut Down the Judge Rotenberg Center", 2016-12-22 source