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All Muck is Local: Utah
It's so hard to find good help these days.
That seems to be especially true in presidential campaigns recently. Rudy Giuliani’s South Carolina state chairman has just been indicted on charges of cocaine possession. And Mitt Romney’s campaign is already in hot water after an aide allegedly impersonated a state trooper.
But the most recent case strikes close to home for the former Massachusetts governor. This week The Hill reported on several lawsuits that continue to follow Robert Lichfield, Romney’s co-chair of his Utah finance committee. Lichfield owns and operates boarding schools for troubled teens, but many former students are speaking out about their treatment while in school. From The Hill:
The complaint, which plaintiffs amended and resubmitted to the court last week, alleges children attending schools operated by Lichfield suffered abuses such as unsanitary living conditions; denial of adequate food; exposure to extreme temperatures; beatings; confinement in dog cages; and sexual fondling.A second lawsuit filed by more than 25 plaintiffs in July in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of New York alleges that Lichfield and several partners entered into a scheme to defraud them by operating an unlicensed boarding school in upstate New York. The suit does not allege physical or emotional abuse.
Lichfield is one of six co-chairs for Romney’s finance committee in Utah, a state that provided almost $3 million of $23 million first-quarter campaign funds. Already this season he and his family have given $15,000 to the Romney presidential campaign. Lichfield helped to bring in $300,000 at a recent fundraiser.
The president of the organization under suit called the claims “ludicrous,” and says of many of the plaintiffs that “they have a long history of lying, fabricating and twisting the story around to their own benefit.” He points out that similar cases have been brought against his company in the past, most of which have been dismissed on procedural grounds.
Romney, for his part, is staying out of the debate, calling it “a civil lawsuit between two parties” that should be handled among themselves. But given that the substance of past complaints has never been publicly aired, that stance might change if details and testimony emerge. For the moment, Lichfield is bringing in more money than bad publicity.
Comments (12)
Roberta wrote on June 24, 2007 2:36 PM:From the full article in The Hill:
"A survey by The Hill found at least nine lawsuits filed in the last nine years against specialty boarding schools affiliated with Lichfield. Judges threw out more than half of the complaints because of procedural objections.
"For example, a suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2005 on behalf of more than 20 plaintiffs was dismissed by a judge who found California did not have jurisdiction over the matter, according to Henry Bushkin, the plaintiffs’ attorney. Bushkin said he would gather more evidence to show a California court could hear the suit."
Okay, "more than half of the complaints" didn't make it because of procedural complaints. Am I mistaken in thinking that a procedural problem does not cast any shadow on the validity of the actual claim?
And what has happened to the other almost-half? And every one of the complainants is a maladjusted liar?
If you haven't seen it, take a look at Josh's report on the guy the California GOP has hired as its COO: Talking Points Memo, June 24, 2007 -- 11:52 AM EST.
I know that some of the guys in the Democratic party's candidates have done some pretty stupid things, but it's once again, like comparing Clinton's lying about a blow job to Bush's lies that led us into Iraq.
Jeez, the Republicans just can't seem to stay away from really unsavory corruption.
Ellen wrote on June 24, 2007 3:23 PM:During a particularly trying time with my son, a woman who is a friend of my brother tried to bamboozle me into sending my son to a school run by the Lichfields in Mexico. I was in desperate straights, and seriously considered it. I was sent promotional materials promoting the school and government financial aid documents to cover the $20K+ yearly tuition, and I very nearly bought into the program.
But, it sounded too good to be true. I did some research. I found that these schools were the basis of Alexia Parks work entitled "An American Gulag." The principles of the school are a re-worked Est program that is first forced on the children, then on the parents in special three-day workshops to indoctrinate them (brainwash them) into the program.
The schools offer tuition refunds to parents referring other parents, aka bamboozling other parents to send their children to these "schools."
Lichfield's school in Costa Rica was closed and its personnel arrested on human rights violations.
These are truly terrible people--and they are on Romney's team. More of America's national nightmare if these people attain anything like the power of the executive branch.
By the way, the friend of my brother stood to gain a $2000 bounty for my son's enrollment in this "school." How much money did this woman make selling other people's children to these monsters?
Thank God for the internet. Thank God for giving me healthy skepticism. My son is still not perfect, but he has not been brainwashed into being a full-blown right-wing psycho.
Ellen wrote on June 24, 2007 3:26 PM:During a particularly trying time with my teenage son, a woman who is a friend of my brother tried to bamboozle me into sending my son to a school run by the Lichfields in Mexico. I was in desperate straights, and seriously considered it. I was sent promotional materials promoting the school and government financial aid documents to cover the $20K+ yearly tuition, and I very nearly bought into the program.
But, it sounded too good to be true. I did some research. I found that these schools were the basis of Alexia Parks work entitled "An American Gulag." The principles of the school are a re-worked Est program that is first forced on the children, then on the parents in special three-day workshops to indoctrinate them (brainwash them) into the program.
The schools offer tuition refunds to parents referring other parents, aka bamboozling other parents to send their children to these "schools."
Lichfield's school in Costa Rica was closed and its personnel arrested on human rights violations.
These are truly terrible people--and they are on Romney's team. More of America's national nightmare if these people attain anything like the power of the executive branch.
By the way, the friend of my brother stood to gain a $2000 bounty for my son's enrollment in this "school." How much money did this woman make selling other people's children to these monsters?
Thank God for the internet. Thank God for giving me healthy skepticism. My son is still not perfect, but he has not been brainwashed into being a full-blown right-wing psycho.
Ellen wrote on June 24, 2007 3:27 PM:During a particularly trying time with my son, a woman who is a friend of my brother tried to bamboozle me into sending my son to a school run by the Lichfields in Mexico. I was in desperate straights, and seriously considered it. I was sent promotional materials promoting the school and government financial aid documents to cover the $20K+ yearly tuition, and I very nearly bought into the program.
But, it sounded too good to be true. I did some research. I found that these schools were the basis of Alexia Parks work entitled "An American Gulag." The principles of the school are a re-worked Est program that is first forced on the children, then on the parents in special three-day workshops to indoctrinate them (brainwash them) into the program.
The schools offer tuition refunds to parents referring other parents, aka bamboozling other parents to send their children to these "schools."
Lichfield's school in Costa Rica was closed and its personnel arrested on human rights violations.
These are truly terrible people--and they are on Romney's team. More of America's national nightmare if these people attain anything like the power of the executive branch.
By the way, the friend of my brother stood to gain a $2000 bounty for my son's enrollment in this "school." How much money did this woman make selling other people's children to these monsters?
Thank God for the internet. Thank God for giving me healthy skepticism. My son is still not perfect, but he has not been brainwashed into being a full-blown right-wing psycho.
Ellen wrote on June 24, 2007 3:46 PM:oh crap. sorry about the multiple postings. i feel very strongly about this human vestibule of indecency, and wanted everyone else to know.
Seamus wrote on June 24, 2007 4:19 PM:Posting it like this is a real good way to get people to IGNORE what you're saying when you intentionally post it 3 times. Sort of making a statement about our intelligence, had to read it 3 times to get it??
Anonymous wrote on June 24, 2007 5:44 PM:Seamus
The TPMmuckraker posting system has been slow causing people to click the post button two or more times.
Look back on some previous posts on Friday and you will see many multiple posts prior to a system crash Saturday,
Ellen wrote on June 24, 2007 6:19 PM:The triple posting was inadvertant, hence the apology Seamus. Nice tone.
You don't think I have anything of value to say, skip it. I'll more than likely to afford you the same courtesy, and not even bother to slap you upside your head while I do it.
But thanks for the laugh though. What a nice, good liberal you are. >:o]
The Oracle wrote on June 24, 2007 7:50 PM:"The complaint, which plaintiffs amended and resubmitted to the court last week, alleges children attending schools operated by Lichfield suffered abuses such as unsanitary living conditions; denial of adequate food; exposure to extreme temperatures; beatings; confinement in dog cages; and sexual fondling."
I thought I was reading an article describing conditions at Abu Ghraib for a moment.
Was Gen. Miller hired on as a consultant to Gitmoize these Republican-run domestic boarding schools for troubled teens?
I know Republicans will do almost anything for a buck (including selling their souls), but torturing children for a buck?
And apparently certain Republicans are trying to deny these abused children their habeas corpus right, as if these abused children were inmates at Gitmo.
I still can't believe how low the Republican Party has sunk in the past six years, how criminal they've all become, how immoral, how greedy...and how dangerous they've all become to our democracy, and the children of our democracy...for a buck, for blood-soaked, blood-stained buck.
Now we know why Iraq looks the way it does. Republican foreign policy is no different than the Republican domestic policy...anything for a buck...no matter how many men, women and children either suffer or die due to unconscionable Republican greed.
Cranky wrote on June 24, 2007 9:24 PM:I'm glad to see you chose to run this story. Anyone wishing more details can read the diary I wrote on this issue at DailyKos on Tuesday the 19th. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/20/2648/52582
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on June 25, 2007 8:35 AM:In a recent comment, someone listed the Academy at Ivy Ridge in upstate NY as being associated with Lichfieeld. A few years agao, I was curious why the school donated $25k to Gov. Pataki. I checked it out and concluded that it was probably looking for state business. I never made the larger connection.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on June 25, 2007 8:41 AM:A few years ago, I remember being curious about why the Academy at Ivy Ridge in upstate NY donated $25k to George Pataki. In an earlier comment, a reader listed the academy as being associated with Lichfield.