The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

The Chad Youth Enhancement Center in Ashland, Tennessee recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the mother of Manny Leach, a Philadelphia teenager who died while residing in the juvenile detention center. Leach's death resulted from an incident where two guards allegedly used an inappropriate choke hold while attempting to restrain him.

Leach was the second teenager to die at Chad. The juvenile detention center has been criticized by officials from several states due to numerous incidents where treatment of residents was deemed overly harsh. Leach's lawyers claimed that Chad has a history of using excessive force in restraining residents, failing to comply with state reporting requirements for injured residents, and improperly screening, training, and disciplining its employees. The lawsuit also claims that the two men responsible for Leach's death, Randall Rae and Milton Francis, should never have been hired, were never adequately trained, and should have been disciplined or terminated for previous incidents.

During the incident resulting in Leach's death, Rae threw the teenager to the ground, pinned his arms behind his back, and started choking him. Eventually, Francis arrived at the scene and assisted in restraining Leach. By the time a nurse arrived, Leach was not breathing and had no pulse. The entire incident was documented on a surveillance camera.

While a medical examiner ruled Leach's death a homicide, a Tennessee grand jury failed to bring charges against Rae and Francis.

Chad agreed to settle for $10.5 million before the case went to trial. However, there was no admission of liability as part of the settlement agreement.

If you have lost a loved one as a result of the negligent actions of another, please contact
the wrongful death attorneys at The Cochran Firm today to schedule your free initial consultation. We serve clients nationwide.