Romanucci & Blandin and Gillispie Law Firm file multi-Plaintiff lawsuit against The Lord’s Ranch religious camp in Arkansas and former owners and staff alleging children were subjected to sexual abuse and cover-ups for decades

 

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Ted Suhl, owner of the now-closed camp was convicted for financial fraud for the organization, now former attendees stepping forward to detail alleged abuse

CHICAGO and LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS (November 7, 2023) – Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, and the Gillispie Law Firm have filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight plaintiffs against The Lord’s Ranch, its many related entities, including Maxus, Inc. and Trinity Behavioral Health, owner and former Executive Director Ted. E. Suhl, and other former senior administrators and staff, alleging the plaintiffs were repeatedly subjected to horrific sexual, psychological, and physical abuse as children while residing at this Christian-based religious camp and therapeutic facility located in Warm Springs, Arkansas. These eight plaintiffs allege they were all sexually abused by their counselor at the Lord’s Ranch, Emmett A. Presley, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, DCSW, who was one of the most notorious child abusers at the facility, using his position of power and authority to prey upon countless patients. Presley served as the former Director of Social Services, responsible for, among other things, overseeing all the psychological treatment and therapy provided to the children at the facility. Plaintiffs allege that Presley’s sexual abuse of children was reported to numerous administrators and staff, including Ted E. Suhl, who either feigned concern or, in some circumstances, punished the residents who reported abuse.  

Like the vast majority of the residents at The Lord’s Ranch, these eight Plaintiffs were all sent to this remote area of Arkansas from other states, with seven of these eight Plaintiffs arriving at the Lord’s Ranch from Illinois and one from Texas.

The Lord’s Ranch was open from 1976-2016, and closed in 2016 when owner and wealthy businessman Ted Suhl was convicted of bribery and fraud for gaming the Medicare system of more than $125 million in state Medicaid funds for the camp. His father, Bud Suhl, had started the camp. Ted Suhl served time in prison following his 2016 conviction. President Donald Trump commuted Mr. Suhl’s sentence in 2019.

For decades until its closure in around 2016, The Lord’s Ranch presented itself to the public, parents, and governmental officials, courts, and administrators within school districts and child services agencies across the country as being a wonderful place with unparalleled programs to help adolescents in need of psychological, emotional, behavioral, or spiritual treatment. The camp took in children ranging from 7-17 years of age, many of whom had been abused or neglected as children, had troubled families, emotional and behavioral issues, or criminal pasts. On its website and promotional materials, The Lord’s Ranch justified its expensive cost by highlighting the high quality of its therapeutic and medical staff; the moral Christian education it provided; the warm, loving feeling that residents received from the family-owned and run facility which treated residents like family;  the uniquely beautiful, peaceful, and safe environment “nestled in the beautiful surroundings of the Ozark foothills;” and a place conducive for emotional and spiritual healing. In that regard, The Lord’s Ranch boasted that its facilities spanned over “1,100 acres of green rolling hills, small shimmering lakes, flowering trees and horse pastures,” that “promise tranquility, a restful atmosphere, peace and the beauty of nature.” In this Complaint, as plaintiffs allege, the reality was completely the opposite.

The civil complaint was filed November 6, 2023 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Eastern Division. All plaintiffs are identified as John Does to protect their identities. The plaintiffs are represented by Romanucci & Blandin, LLC in Chicago and Partner Joshua D. Gillispie of Gillispie Law Firm in Arkansas.

This civil litigation is a way to get to the truth at what happened to so many young people at Lord’s Ranch and to hold accountable the owners, leaders and staff who knew or should have known about the allegations of sexual abuse, or who took part in or covered up abuse.

The legal team deeply respects the bravery of these clients, all former residents at The Lord’s Ranch, for their insight and willingness to take on this issue, raise awareness, validate survivors and begin to expose the ugly truth regarding what they say happened.

The legal team applauds Arkansas lawmakers for taking child sexual abuse seriously and recently opening a window to make civil litigation and accountability possible for childhood sexual abuse. However, it is important for all Plaintiffs and potential Plaintiffs to be aware there is time sensitivity to this window, and all legal claims need to be filed by January 2024.

Anyone with any information, who worked at the Lord’s Ranch or who was a resident there is encouraged to come forward as a witness to what happened.

One of the John Doe Plaintiffs talked about his allegations in a statement, “The several years I spent at the Lord’s Ranch were the worst, most horrific experiences I can remember. I was subjected to sexual, physical, and mental abuse too many times to account for, some of the worst memories still bring back the old experiences as if they are current in my present life. As a young boy, I was targeted by my pedophile psychiatrist based upon my history of sexual abuse experiences as a child and these experiences were used as a tool by him to sexually victimize me further. He used my trust as a weapon against me and destroyed my mind with manipulation and mental warfare.”

“When brave children reported abuse to the administrators and staff at The Lord’s Ranch, including owner Ted E. Suhl, these adults who were entrusted by parents and governmental agencies to take care of and protect these children feigned concern and did nothing, permitting the child abuse to continue – or worse, we believe they took immediate and aggressive actions to cover-up the abuse, intimidating and punishing victims into silence. When victims found ways to report the alleged abuse to family members, the Lord’s Ranch staff sought to discredit the children, calling them liars. This conduct is reprehensible, and those who we believe knew about child abuse and failed to take action should be held accountable as well. We intend to do so to the full extent allowed in this civil case,” said Joshua Gillispie of the Gillispie Law Firm.

To learn more about legal options in sexual abuse cases please visit https://www.rblaw.net/practices-sexual-abuse-hazing-cases.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. For 25 years, we have secured more than $850 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards.  Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured.  We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.

About Gillispie Law Firm

Gillispie Law Firm is a boutique firm based out of North Little Rock, Arkansas that represents victims of child sexual abuse and other crimes.  We seek to empower those injured or victimized by negligence and intentional bad acts of individuals, organizations, and corporations throughout Arkansas. Our experience ranges from cases against the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America to daycare centers and the Department of Human Services, and everywhere in between that children are victimized. We fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and we fight for those who were failed by the systems they thought they could trust. For more information call us at 501-244-0700 or visit our website at greenandgillispie.com.