Six more former students file federal lawsuits alleging abuse at Agape Boarding School
Six more former students filed lawsuits against Agape Boarding School Wednesday in the Western District of Missouri. The now-closed Stockton school is currently facing 12 federal lawsuits.
Last week, two former students filed lawsuits against the school. Four suits were filed in January. All of the lawsuits allege that the former students suffered abuse while in the custody of Agape Boarding School. The lawsuits also argue that the school knew about multiple instances of abuse prior to the students' arrivals, but failed to do anything.
Lawyer Ryan Frazier of Monsees & Mayer P.C. represents 10 former students in these lawsuits: Hayden Frazier of Indiana, Corey Fernandes of California, Michael Payne of Louisiana, Adrian Lokuan of Texas, Blake Boatswain of Florida, Jaden Loman of Florida, Joshua Berreth of Texas, Wayne Woolshleger of Indiana, Cameron McManus of Texas and Ethan Nguyen of California. Each former student in these cases are seeking $75,000 in damages and a trial by jury. All complaints allege physical and emotional abuse by Agape Boarding School employees and staff.
More:Agape Boarding School in Stockton makes 'voluntary' decision to close, cites finances
Lawyer Jarett Johnson of McGonagle Spencer Gahagan, is representing two former students, Darian Shelton of Florida and David Gawargious of New York. According to the filings, both men allege they were forcefully taken from their homes to the Stockton school and that they suffered mistreatment and abuse at the school. The suits request trials by jury, damages "in such fair and reasonable amounts to be determined at trial" and other things the court "deems just and proper."
Among those involved in the lawsuits, some former students attended Agape as early as 2014, while others attended as recently as 2021.
John Schultz, the lawyer who represents Agape Boarding School, declined to comment.
Among the 12 suits, at least four were previously filed in circuit court
Cases involving former students Hayden Frazier, Fernandes, Payne and Lokuan were previously filed in Cedar County Circuit Court in April 2022 and moved to Vernon County Circuit Court. All complaints allege physical and emotional abuse by Agape Boarding School employees and staff.
On Jan. 9, Ryan Frazier of Monsees & Mayer P.C. filed a motion to dismiss all four cases in state court before filing lawsuits in federal court. Ryan Frazier represents the plaintiffs in all four cases. Since the plaintiffs are out of state, they are suing in the Western District of Missouri court.
When asked about the reasoning for moving the cases to federal court, Ryan Frazier said in an email at the time of filing that, "We feel that Federal court is an appropriate venue to achieving justice for our clients in an expediate manner."
More:New evidence in Agape Boarding School suits says abuse drove students to attempt suicide
Ongoing investigation, lawsuits involving Agape Boarding School
For more than a year, the Stockton-based Christian reform school has been under investigation for abuse allegations. The school closed on Jan. 20, "solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys," said former director of Agape Boarding School Bryan Clemensen in a press release.
More than 19 lawsuits have been filed against Agape Boarding School by former students, including graphic accounts of the alleged abuse. According to reporting by the Kansas City Star, 16 of the civil lawsuits have been settled for undisclosed amounts as of March 7 and dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be tried again.
In June, the school lost its accreditation from the National Council of Private School Accreditation and the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools.
In August, Julio Sandoval, the former dean at Agape Boarding School, was accused of transporting a teen against his will from California to Stockton.
In September 2021, Cedar County Prosecutor Ty Gaither filed 13 low-level "Class E" felony assault charges against five people linked to Agape Boarding School. As of December 2022, the majority of the charges were dismissed or reduced to misdemeanors.
Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Six former students file federal suits against Agape Boarding School
