Utah teen treatment centers face federal lawsuit over alleged forced labor

Three women who attended Wilderness Training & Consulting's Utah facilities as teenagers have filed a federal suit accusing the program of abuse and unpaid labor. They describe being denied basic necessities, isolated in a basement as punishment, and forced to exercise to the point of illness, alongside other psychological harms. The lawsuit asserts that the forced chores, ranging from cleaning to landscaping, provided an economic benefit to the operators, contravening the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.

Attorneys for the centers, including Christopher Droubay of Spencer Fane LLP, argue the plaintiffs have not demonstrated concrete injuries under the law and that the claim stretches the statute beyond its intent. Gareth Purnell, representing the plaintiffs, counters that the labor performed saved the defendants money and thus qualifies as exploitation. Senior U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell, who presided over the hearing, suggested that further discovery may resolve the factual disputes. The case joins several other federal actions against the same organization, though the two Utah sites remain operational.