Diamond Ranch Academy

Deaths on record

• Taylor Goodridge age 17 | December 20, 2022 | Peritonitis leading to sepsis; the program did not seek medical care despite weeks of symptoms NBC News
• Matthew Loebach age 16 | September 8, 2013 | Died by suicide Federal Lawsuit
• James Richard Shirey age 14 | January 10, 2009 | Complications of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (as reported) Obituary

The memorial

Lawsuits

• Dean Jeffries L. Goodridge, individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Taylor Goodridge v. Diamond Ranch Academy, Inc. 2022 | In progress | U.S. District Court for the District of Utah | 4:22-cv-00102-DN-PK

  Outcome: Some claims dismissed May 2024; Big Springs dismissed Jan 2025; discovery into defendants' finances reopened Aug 27, 2026.

  Dean Goodridge, the father of Taylor Goodridge, sued Diamond Ranch Academy in federal court in Utah on December 30, 2022, ten days after his daughter died at the program. The complaint alleges that from November 2022 Taylor had extreme abdominal pain, collapsed in her own vomit and begged staff for help, and that staff told her she was faking and gave her only water and aspirin. It alleges she collapsed and died on December 20, 2022, likely of sepsis, and that the program told her father she had had a heart attack and died at the hospital when she had died before leaving the campus. It brings negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and premises liability claims and says a Utah Health Care Malpractice Act claim would be added later. The document on file is the complaint and does not show how the case ended.

• Shayrena Penn v. Diamond Ranch Academy, Inc. Filed | Fifth Judicial District Court, Washington County, Utah

  Former student Shayrena Penn sued Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah's Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County; the complaint is dated April 29, 2021. She alleges that during a four- to five-month stay that began when she was 15, staff restrained her as punishment using pressure points, held her down while she said she could not breathe, and pressed her face into the ground so hard that she suffered lasting paralysis on the left side of her face. It also alleges sleep deprivation, strip searches, forced exercise with water withheld, inadequate clothing in winter, and weeks of isolation. It names five staff members and brings negligent hiring and supervision, assault, battery and emotional distress claims. The document on file is the complaint and does not show how the case ended.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

News coverage

• 

  The Salt Lake Tribune Feb 21, 2025 Expose

  Their kids died in Utah teen treatment programs. Now, these parents are asking Utah lawmakers to beef up oversight.

  Parents of teens who died in Utah treatment facilities spoke to lawmakers in support of SB297, a bill to strengthen oversight of the troubled teen industry. Dean Goodridge described how his daughter Taylor died at Diamond Ranch Academy after staff failed to get her medical help for a treatable infection. Katy Silvers said her son Biruk died by suicide at Discovery Ranch after telling his therapist he had a detailed plan. The program never informed his family. Both parents said their children could have been saved if someone had acted. SB297 would fund an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints and create an advisory board to review whether facilities are admitting youth they are equipped to serve. Primary Children’s Hospital reported treating 169 out-of-state children from Utah programs in 2024, leading to a shortage of beds for local kids. The average stay for those out-of-state youth was 30 percent longer. One child lived in the hospital for five months, blocking care for 22 Utah patients. Although some families defended the programs, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to move the bill forward.

• 

  The Salt Lake Tribune Jul 21, 2023 Event

  Utah takes emergency action against youth treatment center after boy’s death

  Utah health officials issued an emergency licensing order against a Heber City youth residential treatment facility following a resident's death by suicide. Regulators stated that facility staff were aware of the resident's suicidal ideation in the weeks prior to the incident, and previous inspections had documented rule violations regarding staff interference with state investigations.

Staff

Administration

• Fotu Soliai

  Executive Director

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Ashcreek Ranch Academy Executive Director (2025), left
  • Lake House Academy Executive Director (2025), left
  • Sedona Sky Academy exec director

• Rob Dias

  Founder

Notable staff

• Brianna Roselles

  Therapist

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Elevations RTC therapist
  • Island View RTC therapist

• Jake Roberts

  Nurse

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Three Points Center nurse

• Kade Mathews

  Clinical director

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Heritage Schools (Heritage RTC) Intensive Support Unit Staff

• Katie Soli

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Three Points Center clinical director

• Malynda Scott

  Therapist

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Elevations RTC
  • Solstice RTC counselor
  • Island View RTC

• Mayer Jeppson

  Psychological assessment specialist

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Three Points Center psychological assessment specialist
  • Second Nature Entrada therapist
  • Evoke Entrada therapist

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Names

• Olympus Academy Later known as

Wiki entries

• Diamond Ranch Academy Hurricane, UT | 1999-2023

Materials and links

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

• diamondranchacademy.com (archived copy) live site

Survivor posts and discussion

• Diamond Ranch Academy
• Diamond Ranch Academy
• Diamond Ranch Academy

Staff and owners

• Obituary
• Diamond Ranch