Hidden Lake Academy

Lawsuits

• J.O.R., et al. v. Hidden Lake Academy, Inc., et al. 2006 | Closed | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Gainesville Division | 2:06-cv-00146-WCO

  Outcome: The court granted the motion to approve the distribution of settlement proceeds and the case is concluded post-judgment.

  Four families identified by initials filed a class action complaint on September 11, 2006 in federal court in Gainesville, Georgia against Hidden Lake Academy, its related nonprofit entities, and founder Dr. Leonard Buccellato. The complaint alleges that from 2000 onward the therapeutic boarding school misrepresented that its teachers were state certified and its counselors clinically trained, let unlicensed staff dispense medication, and enrolled violent students despite telling parents it did not. It also alleges routine strip searches, student labor, and undisclosed charges and mark-ups on top of an advertised all-inclusive tuition of over $5,900 a month. The copy on file is the first 27 pages of the complaint and does not show how the case ended.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

Incidents on record

1. September 18, 2006 Lawsuit

   A federal class action lawsuit was filed in the Gainesville branch of the US District Court accusing Hidden Lake Academy of "tragic mistreatment of troubled teenage students and families," per the Dahlonega Nugget.source

2. November 8, 2006 Lawsuit

   Hidden Lake Academy filed an answer, defenses and counterclaim to the class action complaint against it in the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Gainesville Division.source

Staff

Administration

• Jeff Halloway

  Former Assistant Headmaster (before 2007)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Ridge Creek Executive Director, 2007
  • First Light Wilderness Therapy executive director

• Greg Lindsey

  Headmaster

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • NATSAP board member

• Joe Sapp

  Headmaster

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • CEDU High School

• Leonard "Len" Buccellato

  Co-owner, founder

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Anneewakee School Former Staff (1994)
  • NATSAP

• Patrick Logan

  Assistant Wilderness Director

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Aspen Achievement Academy Former Senior Instructor and Team Leader (2025)
  • Second Nature Uintas outreach director

• Rudy Bentz

  Headmaster

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Academy at Swift River Dean of Student Life, Headmaster (1997-2025)
  • CEDU High School headmaster

Notable staff

• Nicole Fuglsang

  Director of Admissions (2006)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks Admissions Director, 2006-2008
  • Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks (CALO) Conference Co-Chair, 2009
  • Calo Staff, 2011

• Amy L. Robichaud

  Former Staff (before 2011)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Glen Willow Academy Clinical Director, Clinical Team, 2011
  • Academy at Swift River Staff, before 2011

• Billy Pichon

  Director of Admissions (2006)source

• Matthew Paul

  Former Director of Academics (before 2007)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Financial Supermarkets, Inc. (FSI) Training Consultant, 2007

• David Lee Carpenter

  Academic Director (2008)source

• Josh Watson

  Admissions (2006)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Aspiro Group Inc. Admissions Director, Director of Admissions, Director of Admissions & Marketing, Director of Admissions and Marketing, 2006-2013
  • Aspiro Director of Marketing and Admissions, 2009-2013

• Donald Mull

  Academic Director (2010)source

• Scott Canter

  Former Director of Admissions (before 2009)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Academic Answers-Dallas Managing Partner and Lead Educational Consultant, 2009
  • CEDU School Staff, before 2009
  • Aspen Achievement Academy Admissions, before 2009
  • Aspen Ranch Admissions, before 2009
  • Second Nature Wilderness Program Director of Admissions, before 2009
  • Aspen Education Group National Director of Admissions, Outdoor Division, before 2009

• Matt Paul

  Director of Academics (2006)source

• Brian Ray

  Assistant dean of admissions

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Academy at Swift River Assistant Dean of Admissions (2025)

• Jill Bentz

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Academy at Swift River Director of Training (2025)
  • CEDU High School

• Mike Strader

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Shortridge Academy Phase II Supervisor
  • Mount Bachelor Academy dean of students
  • Rocky Mountain Academy survivor

• Scott Boice

  Therapist & Parent Communicator

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • New Haven RTC exec clinical director
  • Devereux Foundation Senior Clinical Therapist & Treatment Team Lead
  • Three Springs Inc. Clinical Director
  • Pacific Quest Family Program Director
  • InnerChange Director of Clinical Operations

• Thomas Ring

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Stone Mountain School coordinator

Connections on the network map

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

Member

• NATSAP

Research notes

• Name change: renamed to Ridge Creek Academy; a separate entity from Ridge Creek Wilderness
• Start year: 1994 (source)
• Corrected from outside sources (data audit): Wikipedia, source

Wiki entries

• Hidden Lake Academy Dahlonega, GA | 1994-2011