Judge orders arbitration in lawsuit over 2020 death of teen at Lakeland Girls Academy
A judge in Polk County has halted a lawsuit involving the 2020 death of a 17-year-old girl at a now-closed boarding school in Lakeland, ruling that the girls’ parents must proceed with arbitration.
Circuit Judge Michael McDaniel issued the order compelling arbitration and staying litigation last month. The parents of Naomi Wood filed a civil lawsuit in 10th Judicial Circuit Court in April 2022 against the former directors of Lakeland Girls Academy and Teen Challenge of Florida, the nonprofit organization affiliated with it.
Albert and Deborah Wood, who live in Vermont, requested a jury trial and sought damages of more than $30,000.
Naomi Wood died on May 19, 2020, after months of complaining about persistent abdominal pains while a resident student at Lakeland Girls Academy, according to a report from the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Medical Examiner’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit initially ruled that Wood died of a seizure disorder, though the manner of death was later amended to “undetermined.”
The lawsuit claimed that Wood died as “a direct and proximate cause of the negligence of Teen Challenge of Florida, Inc.” That is a Christian nonprofit that oversaw Lakeland Girls Academy and a network of other facilities.
The suit drew upon a critical case summary written by an investigator with a Child Protection Team, a division of the Florida Department of Health, after Wood’s death. The state investigator, Dr. Carol Lilly, criticized Lakeland Girls Academy for inadequate supervision and medical neglect.
In his order, McDaniel wrote that Albert and Deborah Wood had signed a “Christian conciliation and arbitration agreement,” a valid written agreement to arbitrate, and that Lakeland Girls Academy had not waived its right to arbitration.
McDaniel rejected the Woods’ claim that the agreement was not binding because the former directors of Lakeland Girls Academy had not signed it. He also denied the Woods’ argument that their wrongful death claim on behalf of a minor was not subject to arbitration.
“The wrongful death claim is inextricably intertwined with the duties imposed by the agreements and the need and the unique circumstances of the custodial relationship from which the contract arose,” McDaniel wrote.
Naomi Wood enrolled in February 2020 at Lakeland Girls Academy, described as a “restoration home” for girls ages 12 to 17 dealing with such issues as low self-esteem, academic struggles, rebellion, anger, defiance, theft, manipulation and promiscuity. The facility’s website said it provided “Bible-based support” and counseling for students.
As previously reported in The Ledger, Wood began complaining of abdominal pains soon after her arrival. The Lakeland Girls Academy staff was only allowed to dispense over-the-counter medications, except for prescribed birth-control medication, the lawsuit said, and any request to see a doctor required approval from the directors, Dan and Holly Williams.
The married couple exercised that authority “despite having no formal medical qualifications or training,” the suit said. “As a result, many medical complaints of LGA residents went unresolved or completely ignored.”
Naomi Wood received an over-the-counter stomach medication six times during her first three weeks at LGA, the lawsuit said. About five weeks before her death, the LGA staff denied Wood’s request to see a doctor, the suit said.
Rather than seek medical care for Naomi Wood, the LGA staff gave her soup, dispensed Pepto Bismol and prayed for her, the lawsuit said. Wood received stomach medication at least 22 times while at LGA, the suit said, including 13 times in her final 36 days.
The LGA staff routinely denied students’ requests for medical care on the assumption that they merely wanted to leave the facility, the suit claimed. The complaint said the facility’s leaders promoted “a culture of suspicion, disbelief, and isolation that ultimately led to its residents being unable to access outside medical care and treatment.”
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The LGA staff only contacted Wood’s parents once during her 104 days at the facility, through a one-paragraph email, to tell them about her stomach pains, the suit said. The Woods said that they only learned of their daughter’s persistent health problems after reading a copy of the state investigator’s report following news coverage of Naomi’s death.
On the day before her death, Wood “became violently ill,” the lawsuit said, and the LGA staff again provided over-the-counter medication and soup and prayed for her. That night, roommates reported that Wood was vomiting repeatedly and wheezing, but the staff only offered to pray for her, the suit said.
At about 6 p.m. on May 19, staff members tried to wake Wood for a required daily shower and found her unresponsive, the suit said. The staff gained permission from Dan Williams to call 911, and an emergency team arrived and took Wood to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where she was soon pronounced dead.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated Wood’s death and filed no criminal charges. Lakeland Girls Academy closed in March 2022 after a sharp drop in enrollment following news reports about Naomi Wood’s death.
Nehemiah Wood, Naomi’s brother, emailed a statement to The Ledger on behalf of his family.
“We remain horrified by the preventable death of Naomi,” the statement read in part. “Over the past three years, we have come to firmly and clearly understand that Lakeland Girls Academy and Teen Challenge willfully and repeatedly failed to make a reasonable effort to protect Naomi from the substantial risk of injury and death by repeatedly ignoring her ongoing illness and requests to see a medical doctor during her time in Lakeland.”
Nehemiah Wood wrote that his sister did not die of a seizure disorder or natural causes, citing the revision by the medical examiner. He said that Naomi died “because of a series of serious medical events that Lakeland Girls Academy and Teen Challenge willfully ignored.”
The statement said that Naomi had a dangerously low blood glucose level when an emergency medical crew arrived. Alleging a crime of aggravated manslaughter, the family asked the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the State of Florida to reopen an investigation of Naomi’s death.
“We will never forget that Naomi died scared, alone, unsupervised, and on the floor of her room,” the statement said. “Lakeland Girls Academy and Teen Challenge swore to protect Naomi, but instead, her ashes were returned to us in a small box.”
An official with Teen Challenge Southeast said the organization could not comment as the case is still in arbitration.
Scott Wilder, a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, said there is no factual basis for reopening the investigation.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Judge orders arbitration over death of teen at Lakeland Girls Academy
