Family of Michigan teen who died after being restrained at youth center settles lawsuit

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The family of a 16-year-old boy who was restrained at a shuttered western Michigan youth center and died two days later of cardiac arrest has settled a second wrongful death lawsuit in the case.

The settlement between the family of Cornelius Fredricks and Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo was approved Dec. 29 by Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge Alexander Lipsey. It was reached out of court and was filed under seal, so no details are available, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported Monday.

Another lawsuit was settled Dec. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. No details of that settlement are available either.

RELATED: Michigan teen screamed ‘I can’t breathe' while being restrained by staff, lawsuit claims

Fredericks died after he was restrained for 10 minutes at the center on April 29, 2020. The academy subsequently lost its contract to care for youth in the state’s foster care and juvenile justice systems and had its license to operate suspended. The Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death was a homicide.

Fredricks’ family filed lawsuits after his death against Lakeside Academy, school owner Sequel Youth & Family Services and employees.

Three employees of the facility were charged criminally in Fredricks’ death.

RELATED: Attorney releases footage of teen that died after being restrained

School nurse Heather McLogan, 49, was sentenced in September to 18 months of probation for one felony count of third-degree child abuse.

Zachary Solis and Michael Mosley were both physically involved in the restraint and are charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of second-degree child abuse in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court. They are scheduled for a jury trial March 17.