Sequel Youth & Family Services: Family of Student Killed at Lakeside Academy Reaches Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

December 20, 2021

KALAMAZOO, MI – The family of a student killed at the now-shuttered Lakeside Academy has reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the school.

Cornelius Fredricks, 16, died after he was restrained for 10 minutes at the school on April 29, 2020.

It took 12 minutes before nurses and staff members began CPR and called 911. Fredricks was taken to a local hospital where he died from cardiac arrest on May 1. The Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death was a homicide.

Fredricks’ estate sued Lakeside Academy, school owner Sequel Youth & Family Services and employees who were involved. A settlement was reached Dec. 2, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan.

More time is needed to finalize the settlement, according to documents filed by attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who is representing Fredricks’ estate in the case. No details of the settlement are included in court documents.

The lawsuit claimed a lack of proper training for employees involved in restraining Fredricks, as well as workers using excessive force led to the student’s suffocation. The lawsuit also alleges that other workers failed to act to stop the injuring restraint.

The response denied some of the allegations while declining to answer other parts, per court documents.

Three employees of the facility were charged criminally in Fredricks’ death.

School nurse Heather McLogan, 49, was sentenced in September to 18 months of probation for one felony count of third-degree child abuse.

Zachary Solis and Michael Mosley were both physically involved in the restraint, and are charged with�involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree child abuse in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court. They are scheduled for a jury trial Jan. 10.

Source: Marie Weidmayer, “Family of student killed at Lakeside Academy reaches settlement in wrongful death lawsuit,” MLive.com, Dec. 3, 2021, URL: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2021/12/family-of-student-killed-at-lakeside-academy-reaches-settlement-in-wrongful-death-lawsuit.html