Facility profile Montana

Spring Creek Community

Later called Spring Creek Lodge Academy

Closed Noxon/Trout Creek area, Montana

Spring Creek Community was a therapeutic boarding school in Noxon/Trout Creek area, Montana, operated by Steve Cawdrey. It operated from 1979 to 1991.

About Spring Creek Community

Also drawn on: The Spokesman-Review, "Importing Troubled Teenagers Behavior Camps Become Big Business In Region".

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

19791991200620102012201919792019

  1. 1979

    1. Opened

      Opened in Noxon/Trout Creek area, Montana

  2. 1991

    1. Closed

      Closed

  3. 2006

    1. Incident

      Lawsuit

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy. In 2006 a mother sued Spring Creek and its directors over her teenage daughter's death; she later added Robert Lichfield, WWASP, Teen Help and others as defendants.

      Lawsuit

      In 2006 a mother sued Spring Creek and its directors over her teenage daughter's death; she later added Robert Lichfield, WWASP, Teen Help and others as defendants. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

    2. Lawsuit

      Newman v. Lichfield, et al.

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy.

      Newman v. Lichfield, et al.

      Judith Newman sued over the death of her daughter Karlye, who was found hanged at Spring Creek Lodge Academy in Thompson Falls, Montana on October 7, 2004 and died at age 16. She filed suit on October 23, 2006 against Spring Creek and its directors, later adding WWASP founder Robert Lichfield, WWASP, Teen Help, National Contract and Peacox, and alleged negligent care, wrongful death and deceptive marketing to...

      Outcome: Newman settled with Spring Creek, Teen Help and National Contract in early 2010. A jury returned a defense verdict for Lichfield and WWASP on October 27, 2010.

      Court
      Supreme Court of Montana (appeal from the Twentieth Judicial District Court, Sanders County)
      Case number
      DA 10-0548
      Status
      Ruling issued

      All lawsuits on record

    3. In the newsApril 20, 2006

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      2 articles in Dissident Voice and KFF Health News, 2006 to 2022.

      Provo Canyon School Closure April 20, 2006

      The article reports allegations that several privately operated residential treatment programs for adolescents employ coercive discipline, physical and chemical restraints, and isolation, resulting in reported trauma among former participants.

  4. 2010

    1. IncidentOctober 27, 2010

      Lawsuit

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy. A jury returned a defense verdict for Robert Lichfield and WWASP in the wrongful death suit.

      Lawsuit October 27, 2010

      A jury returned a defense verdict for Robert Lichfield and WWASP in the wrongful death suit. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  5. 2012

    1. IncidentMarch 6, 2012

      Lawsuit

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy. In March 2012 the Montana Supreme Court affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded the Lichfield/WWASP wrongful death case for a new trial because...

      Lawsuit March 6, 2012

      In March 2012 the Montana Supreme Court affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded the Lichfield/WWASP wrongful death case for a new trial because evidence of what the defendants knew was wrongly excluded. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  6. 2019

    1. IncidentReported October 2019

      Abuse

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy. A survivor told HEAL that other students beat him with knotted pillowcases in an isolation building while staff said 'knock it off' (allegation).

      Abuse Reported October 2019

      A survivor told HEAL that other students beat him with knotted pillowcases in an isolation building while staff said 'knock it off' (allegation). (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

    2. IncidentReported October 2019

      Death

      As Spring Creek Lodge Academy. A survivor told HEAL that about a year after his suicide attempts were stopped, a girl hanged herself with her own belt at the school (allegation).

      Death Reported October 2019

      A survivor told HEAL that about a year after his suicide attempts were stopped, a girl hanged herself with her own belt at the school (allegation). (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

    3. Essential reportingJanuary 23, 2019

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

      Missoulian: 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.

      12 years, 58 complaints, no sanctions at Montana residential programs January 23, 2019

      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.

      Read the article

    4. Essential reportingJanuary 26, 2019

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

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

      Investigation Reveals Recurrent Ownership and Oversight Concerns Across Montana Youth Residential Programs January 26, 2019

      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.

      Read the article

As Spring Creek Lodge Academy

The record kept under this name

Lawsuits

  • Newman v. Lichfield, et al. 2006 | Ruling issued | Supreme Court of Montana (appeal from the Twentieth Judicial District Court, Sanders County) | DA 10-0548

    Outcome: Newman settled with Spring Creek, Teen Help and National Contract in early 2010. A jury returned a defense verdict for Lichfield and WWASP on October 27, 2010. On March 6, 2012 the Montana Supreme Court affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded for a new trial, holding the trial court wrongly limited evidence on foreseeability.

    Judith Newman sued over the death of her daughter Karlye, who was found hanged at Spring Creek Lodge Academy in Thompson Falls, Montana on October 7, 2004 and died at age 16. She filed suit on October 23, 2006 against Spring Creek and its directors, later adding WWASP founder Robert Lichfield, WWASP, Teen Help, National Contract and Peacox, and alleged negligent care, wrongful death and deceptive marketing to parents of suicidal youth. She settled with Spring Creek, Teen Help and National Contract in 2010, and a jury found for Lichfield and WWASP in October 2010. On March 6, 2012 the Montana Supreme Court reversed in part and ordered a new trial. The documents do not show what happened after remand.

  • Newman v. Scottsdale Insurance Co. (Mont. 2013) Unknown Names this facility
  • Wood, et al. v. World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, Inc., et al. Unknown | Fifth Judicial District Court, Washington County, Utah | 120500380

    William Chase Wood and several hundred other former students and their parents sued the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), founder Robert Lichfield, his business partners and dozens of affiliated programs, marketing and billing companies in Utah's Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County. The document on file is the plaintiffs' 228-page first amended complaint, submitted July 24, 2013, which refers to claim sheets filed in the case on December 17, 2012 in opposition to a WWASPS motion to dismiss. It alleges that students placed at WWASPS programs in Utah, other states, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Samoa and the Czech Republic from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s were beaten, restrained, locked in isolation and small boxes or cages, denied food and medical care, sexually abused and forced to work without pay. It alleges the programs operated as a single enterprise that deceived parents and concealed the abuse, and brings negligence, fraud, contract, conspiracy and emotional distress claims. The document does not show how the case ended.

Incidents on record

  1. 2006 Lawsuit

    In 2006 a mother sued Spring Creek and its directors over her teenage daughter's death; she later added Robert Lichfield, WWASP, Teen Help and others as defendants. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  2. October 27, 2010 Lawsuit

    A jury returned a defense verdict for Robert Lichfield and WWASP in the wrongful death suit. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  3. March 6, 2012 Lawsuit

    In March 2012 the Montana Supreme Court affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded the Lichfield/WWASP wrongful death case for a new trial because evidence of what the defendants knew was wrongly excluded. (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  4. Reported October 2019 Abuse

    A survivor told HEAL that other students beat him with knotted pillowcases in an isolation building while staff said 'knock it off' (allegation). (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

  5. Reported October 2019 Death

    A survivor told HEAL that about a year after his suicide attempts were stopped, a girl hanged herself with her own belt at the school (allegation). (HEAL, Quick Links | SPRING CREEK LODGE ACADEMY (WWASPS) IN MONTANA (archived 2019-10-15))

News coverage

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Dissident Voice Apr 20, 2006 Expose

    Allegations of Abuse in Residential Treatment Programs for Teens

    The article reports allegations that several privately operated residential treatment programs for adolescents employ coercive discipline, physical and chemical restraints, and isolation, resulting in reported trauma among former participants. It also describes corporate ties, political contributions, and legal actions related to these facilities.

  • CBS News Oct 15, 1998 Expose

    An Examination of Behavior Modification Programs for Adolescents

    An investigative report examines behavior modification programs operating in remote locations under the umbrella organization Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs. Former students detailed allegations of physical restraints, confinement, and inadequate medical care, while program directors defended the operations and cited positive outcomes reported by some participants and parents.

Staff

Notable staff

Connections on the network map

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

Names

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction