Student sick at boarding school told to ‘suck it up’ days before she died, lawsuit says

When a 17-year-old student at a boarding school in Utah became sick in December, she begged staff for help, a lawsuit says.

Taylor Goodridge was in “excruciating pain,” but instead of getting proper medical attention, staff at the school accused her of “faking it,” told her to “suck it up” and advised her to drink water and take aspirin, according to the lawsuit.

Days later, on Dec. 20, 2022, she “collapsed” and died at Diamond Ranch Academy, the lawsuit says.

An autopsy report shared with McClatchy News by her family’s lawyer says she died of “acute fibrinopurulent peritonitis” — an inflammation of the inner wall of the abdomen caused by an infection. The condition can be treated with antibiotics and sometimes surgery but can be fatal if left untreated.

Goodridge’s family sued Diamond Ranch Academy on Dec. 30 and filed an amended complaint on April 26.

The teen’s parents issued a statement on April 7 after the Utah Medical Examiner released their daughter’s autopsy report that showed she died of a “fully recoverable” illness.

“We are devastated to learn that Taylor’s death was entirely preventable had Diamond Ranch Academy cared,” the statement says.

“The family is suffering a lot, because her death was needless,” the family’s attorney, Alan Mortensen, told McClatchy News. “There’s no reason this should’ve happened.”

Diamond Ranch Academy, which is located in Hurricane, about 290 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, describes itself as a “world-class residential treatment center and therapeutic boarding school for teenagers,” according to its website. Lawyers for the school and its executive director did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Lawyers for Diamond Ranch Academy filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on March 10.

’Taylor begged for help,’ her lawyer said

Goodridge began reporting back pain, difficulty breathing and trouble sleeping as early as Dec. 9, 2022, according to a news release from Mortensen’s law firm.

Her condition worsened over the course of a few days, and on Dec. 16, she “collapsed in her vomit,” the lawsuit says. Her stomach was “extremely distended” and noticeable to other people.

Weekly phone calls to her parents were “unilaterally canceled” by the academy in the weeks leading up to her death, according to Mortensen.

On Dec. 20, Goodridge went to the school’s medical office, where she collapsed and died, the lawsuit says.

School staff told Goodridge’s father that his daughter had a heart attack and died at a hospital, the lawsuit says.

Her autopsy report says that she became “unresponsive” while in the medical area of Diamond Ranch Academy and “lifesaving efforts” at a hospital “proved futile.” In addition to peritonitis, she also had sepsis, according to the report.

“Taylor died on site at the Diamond Ranch Academy without ever seeing a doctor or being taken to the hospital,” Mortensen said in the news release.

’The perfect storm of horrible behavior at Diamond Ranch Academy,’ Mortensen said

It was Goodridge’s choice to attend the boarding school because she wanted to “get everything in line” to go to college, Mortensen said. She left her home state of Washington to attend the school, where she was getting “excellent” grades, he said.

“She got all A’s and a couple B’s,” he said. “She was a sharp kid.”

A “huge Disney fan,” she also played volleyball and was on the cheerleading team, he said.

But while at the school, she was neglected, isolated and prevented from contacting her parents without the school’s permission, he said.

“I’m trying to put myself in her shoes. … How horrible those two weeks would’ve been, and being so sick and being ignored and punished when you complain,” Mortensen said. “It’s just the perfect storm of horrible behavior at Diamond Ranch Academy.”

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services placed the academy on a “conditional license” while it investigated Goodridge’s death in December 2022, according to a spokeswoman for the agency. The school was prevented from admitting new students and subjected to “increased monitoring inspections,” according to a letter issued by the agency on Dec. 22.

The department conducted multiple site visits and issued a new conditional license to the academy on March 17, allowing it to enroll new students once again.

“(The Department of Health and Human Services) inspections showed (Diamond Ranch Academy) had made the changes needed to become compliant and showed no evidence to prevent the facility from taking on new clients,” the department spokeswoman said in a statement.

But Goodridge’s parents, Dean Goodridge and AmberLynn Wigtion, said in a statement that the state’s Department of Health and Human Services had not held Diamond Ranch Academy accountable.

“Diamond Ranch Academy is now able to continue accepting unknowing students with naive parents, so that the owners of Diamond Ranch Academy can continue to earn profits from the misfortunes of its students and their parents,” the statement says. “We intend to continue to pursue all avenues to hold Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for (Taylor Goodridge’s) death to make sure this does not happen to other innocent teens and their families.”

Paris Hilton has led a charge to shut down similar boarding schools, including Provo Canyon School, a residential treatment facility for teens in Utah where she says she was sexually abused and traumatized.

Her accusations “first came to light” in her documentary released in 2020, Vanity Fair reported. Soon after the documentary’s release, Provo Canyon School issued a statement saying it does not “condone or promote any form of abuse.”

“Any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported immediately to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement, and Child Protective Services, as required. We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric needs,” the school said, according to the outlet.

Hilton has also advocated for Diamond Ranch Academy to face consequences.

“It is vital that facilities like Diamond Ranch Academy are held accountable,” she tweeted in December.

Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, told C Magazine in 2021 that she also suffered abuse at a reformatory school in Utah, though she did not specify which one.

The lawsuit against Diamond Ranch Academy seeks punitive damages as well as general damages.

“The parents’ goal is that this never happens to another kid, both at this facility and any other ‘troubled teen’ facility,” Mortensen said. “It’s really the industry that’s troubled and not the teens.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Student sick at boarding school told to ‘suck it up’ days before she died, lawsuit says."