Clearview Girls Academy

Lawsuits

• Montana Supreme Court DA 24-0687 (Clearview student suits appeal) 2024 | Unknown | SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA | DA 24-0687 Names this facility

  Outcome: Defendants' motion to dismiss the appeal as premature is granted, and the appeal is dismissed without prejudice because no final judgment has been entered on all claims.

  Former residents of a therapeutic boarding school filed suit against the facility and its former employees alleging negligence, negligent supervision, and emotional distress. The plaintiffs entered a stipulated judgment with the facility, and an insurance agency intervened to contest the reasonableness of the judgment, which remains stayed. The District Court subsequently dismissed claims against individual defendants as a discovery sanction, leading plaintiffs to appeal. The Montana Supreme Court granted a motion to dismiss the appeal without prejudice, ruling that the appeal was premature because the underlying case remains pending and no final judgment resolving all claims has been entered.

• Markel American Insurance Co. v. Clearview Horizon, Inc., 9:21-cv-00073 (D. Mont.) 2021 | Dismissed | United States District Court, D. Montana | 9:21-cv-00073 Names this facility

  Outcome: The case was dismissed with prejudice pursuant to the parties' stipulation of dismissal, with each party to bear its own costs and attorney fees.

  Markel American Insurance Company filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against Clearview Horizon, Inc., Mike Linderman, and Michele Manning seeking a determination of insurance coverage obligations related to underlying lawsuits. Clearview Horizon answered and filed third-party complaints against insurance agencies, and underlying plaintiffs subsequently intervened in the action. The parties have proceeded through initial scheduling, discovery planning, and preliminary pretrial statements.

• Court record - Clearview Horizon (case no. 9:21-cv-00073) 2021 | Dismissed | United States District Court for the District of Montana, Missoula Division | 9:21-cv-00073-DLC Names this facility

  Outcome: The case was dismissed with prejudice pursuant to the parties' stipulation of dismissal as being fully settled on its merits.

  Markel American Insurance Company filed a complaint alleging that its policy with Clearview Horizon, Inc. does not cover claims arising from lawsuits alleging psychiatric services caused mental distress. The complaint asserts that the policy excludes coverage for these claims and that the insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify the defendants. It also notes that the insurer has elected to retain counsel to defend the defendants despite the lack of coverage. The complaint is the initial pleading in a federal action between parties in different states with a controversy exceeding $75,000.

• Complaint - Clearview Horizon 2021 | Dismissed | United States District Court for the District of Montana, Missoula Division | 9:21-cv-00073-DLC Names this facility

  Outcome: The case was dismissed with prejudice as fully settled on its merits, each party to bear its own costs and attorney fees. On January 7, 2026, the court ordered the case dismissed with prejudice following a stipulation of dismissal by the parties.

  Markel American Insurance Company filed a complaint alleging that its policy does not cover claims made by Clearview Horizon, Inc., Mike Linderman, and Michele Manning in lawsuits concerning psychiatric services. The complaint asserts that the policy excludes coverage for claims related to mental distress and mental anguish arising from alleged failures to provide psychiatric services. It also states that the insurer has no duty to defend or indemnify the defendants, yet has elected to retain counsel to defend them. The complaint seeks to establish that the insurer is not liable under the policy.

• Kinsale Insurance Co. v. Clearview Horizon, Inc., 9:22-cv-00076 (D. Mont.) Unknown | United States District Court for the District of Idaho Names this facility

  This document references a search result for a legal case involving Kinsale Insurance Company and Clearview Horizon, Inc., litigated in the District of Idaho in 2022. The text lists various courts and search parameters from the CourtListener legal database. No further factual details regarding the allegations or outcomes are provided in this specific excerpt.

• Court record - Clearview Horizon Unknown | United States District Court for the District of Montana | 21-073 Names this facility

  Markel American Insurance Company filed a civil action against Clearview Horizon, Inc. alleging an insurance dispute. The case is a diversity declaratory judgement proceeding in the United States District Court for the District of Montana. The docket entry lists additional defendants including Mike Linderman and Michele Manning. No resolution or settlement is indicated in this document. The case remains pending.

News coverage

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  Missoulian Jan 26, 2019 Expose

  Investigation Reveals Recurrent Ownership and Oversight Concerns Across Montana Youth Residential Programs

  Essential reporting

  The Missoulian mapped the owners and administrators who moved between Montana programs, several of them with past license revocations or criminal charges.

  An investigative report examines the network of owners and administrators operating private residential youth programs in Montana, highlighting instances where individuals with histories of regulatory violations, licensing revocations, or criminal charges established or worked at multiple facilities. The report details multiple civil lawsuits against facilities including Reflections Academy, alleging failures to protect students from staff misconduct and inadequate state regulatory oversight.

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  Missoulian Jan 23, 2019 Expose

  12 years, 58 complaints, no sanctions at Montana residential programs

  Essential reporting

  The Missoulian found 58 complaints in 12 years against Montana's private youth programs and no sanctions from a board made up mostly of industry representatives.

  Over a 12-year period, private residential programs for youth in Montana accumulated 58 complaints without facing any significant sanctions from the state regulatory board. The oversight body, primarily composed of industry representatives, maintained closed records and dismissed complaints regarding uncertified staff, facility safety violations, and operational noncompliance.

• 

  Law360 May 10, 2022 Lawsuit

  Girls School Blames Broker's Mistakes For Lack Of Coverage

  Clearview Horizon, Inc., a therapeutic boarding school facing lawsuits alleging the infliction of emotional distress on former students, asserted in a Montana federal court that broker negligence is responsible for its lack of insurance coverage.

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  Law360 Mar 24, 2022 Lawsuit

  Insurer Seeks Declaratory Judgment Regarding Coverage in Former Students' Suit Against Clearview Horizon

  An insurer filed a declaratory judgment action in federal court stating it has no duty to defend or indemnify Clearview Horizon Inc., a therapeutic boarding school, in a lawsuit brought by former students. The underlying lawsuit alleges negligence and severe emotional distress resulting from institutional practices that occurred between 2012 and 2018, which the insurer argues fall outside the effective dates of its policy.

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  Missoulian Jan 25, 2019 Expose

  Former Montana Residential Program Students Report Isolation and Punitive Practices

  Former students of various private residential programs in Montana detailed institutional practices such as prolonged social isolation, physical exertion punishments, and behavioral restriction levels. Documentation and interviews also revealed instances of physical restraint, restrictive dietary measures, and allegations of forced peer physical contact overseen by facility staff.

Staff

Administration

• Troy Knight

  Executive Director (2009)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Wilderness Quest Executive Director, 2007
  • Clearview Horizon Executive Director, 2009
  • Ascent Wilderness Program Healthcare Administration Program Director, 2008

• Mary Thielbahr

  Director, Founder (2008-2009)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • the head of Cabinet Mountain Mental Health

Notable staff

• Tami Gebhardt

  Assistant Director (2007-2008)source

• Kimberley "Kim" Sparks

  source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Clearview Horizon Staff
  • Spring Creek Lodge Academy Former Family Representative

• Jeremiah Guidos

  Clinical Directorsource

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Clearview Horizon Clinical Director
  • Monarch School Former Therapist

• Paula Riggs

  Directorsource

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • CEDU High School Admissions Director, 1997
  • Wilderness Quest Director of Admissions, before 2009
  • Casa Palmera Director of Admissions, 2009
  • Wingate Wilderness Therapy Admissions, 2013
  • Clearview Horizon Director of Admissions, 2019
  • Elk Mountain Academy Admissions Counselor and Director

News coverage

• 

  KFF Health News Jan 21, 2022 General

  State Laws Aim to Regulate 'Troubled Teen Industry,' but Loopholes Remain

  This article examines state-level legislative efforts to regulate private residential youth programs and the ongoing regulatory loopholes that allow instances of seclusion, chemical sedation, and unaddressed safety violations to persist. Advocates and experts highlight that inconsistent state enforcement and exemptions for religious programs continue to present challenges for oversight within the industry.

• 

  USA TODAY / Kaiser Health News Jan 19, 2022 Expose

  State laws aim to regulate 'troubled teen industry,' but loopholes remain

  The article examines state-level regulatory efforts and ongoing loopholes regarding residential youth treatment programs across the United States. It details accounts of restrictive practices and inadequate oversight in facilities across states such as Utah and Montana, while highlighting advocacy efforts for federal legislation.

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  Flathead Beacon Mar 5, 2021 Lawsuit

  Ex-Students Allege Sexual Abuse at Troubled Teen School

  Former students filed separate lawsuits in January against two Montana residential facilities for teenage girls, alleging sexual assault by staff members, negligence, and the infliction of mental anguish. The complaints also allege that the facilities utilized treatment practices not recognized by mental health organizations.