The lawsuits against Trails Carolina include sexual assault claims by former campers, a class action alleging the camp concealed abuse and misrepresented its effectiveness, and a wrongful-treatment suit tied to the February 2024 death of a 12-year-old boy whose killing was ruled a homicide. The wilderness therapy camp in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, was permanently shut down in 2024, and litigation against it and its parent company, Family Help & Wellness, has continued to expand since.
The Death That Ended the Camp
On February 3, 2024, 12-year-old Clark Harman was found dead less than 24 hours after arriving at the facility. Staff had directed him to sleep inside a fully enclosed “bivy sack,” a one-person nylon shelter with a zipper alarm meant to prevent him from leaving. The internal mesh door was torn, and the opaque outer layer had been used to close the opening, so staff could not see him during overnight checks.1CNN. Trails Carolina Camp Death Update Homicide
Staff said the boy had a panic attack around midnight and was checked every few hours until 6:00 a.m. At 7:45 a.m., he was found “cold to the touch and stiff.”2WGHP FOX8. Campers Removed From Trails Carolina Amid Investigation An autopsy on February 6 determined the cause of death was asphyxia due to smothering and classified the manner of death as homicide.1CNN. Trails Carolina Camp Death Update Homicide
In November 2024, District Attorney Andrew Murray declined to pursue involuntary manslaughter charges against the counselors present, saying the death “did not involve criminal intent or recklessness sufficient to warrant criminal charges.”3WLOS. Trails Carolina Therapeutic Camp Death One Year Later No criminal charges have been filed. A 17-year-old, Alec Lansing, had also died of hypothermia after going missing from the camp in 2014, which resulted in a $12,000 state fine.4NBC News. Wilderness Camp Where Boy Recently Died Accused of Ignoring Sexual Assault
Sexual Assault Lawsuits
Sexual assault claims against Trails Carolina predate the 2024 death and have grown since. The suits generally allege two things: that campers were assaulted by staff or other campers, and that the facility failed to protect them, dismissed their reports, or discouraged them from reporting to authorities.
The Siegel Suit
In February 2024, former camper Gertie Siegel sued in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. She alleged another camper sexually assaulted her in 2016 and that the facility then required her to sleep next to her alleged attacker. A staff therapist, she said, discouraged her from reporting the assault and told her she was “equally at fault” for not saying “no.”4NBC News. Wilderness Camp Where Boy Recently Died Accused of Ignoring Sexual Assault The complaint also described hazardous conditions such as dirty bandannas used as water filters. It names Trails Carolina, Wilderness Training & Consulting, and therapist Derry O’Kane. The case remained active on the federal docket as of the last available entry.5Justia Dockets. Siegel v. Trails Carolina, LLC et al
Later Assault Complaints
A March 2025 federal lawsuit alleged that an adult male field instructor, with no professional license or clinical training, sexually abused a 12-year-old girl on six occasions while accompanying her into the woods to use the restroom, and forced her to touch him inappropriately. The suit alleged the camp concealed the abuse, “gaslit” the victim, and forced her to continue interacting with the alleged abuser.6WLOS. Former Campers File Lawsuits Alleging Sexual Assault at Trails Carolina
In May 2025, another former camper filed suit in Wake County Superior Court alleging that in 2018, an 18-year-old fellow camper sexually assaulted her while holding a “metal object” to her throat. Staff, she said, “disregarded” her report, told her they “did not believe her,” and failed to document the incident.7Asheville Citizen-Times. Lawsuit: Another Camper Alleges Sexual Assault at Trails Carolina That complaint alleged unfair and deceptive trade practices along with negligent, grossly negligent, and wanton conduct, and sought compensatory and punitive damages.
Two additional federal lawsuits involving sexual assault allegations at Trails Carolina were settled in 2024.7Asheville Citizen-Times. Lawsuit: Another Camper Alleges Sexual Assault at Trails Carolina
The Class Action and Fraud Claims
On November 22, 2024, the Justice Law Collaborative filed a class action against Trails Carolina and Family Help & Wellness in the Western District of North Carolina. The complaint alleged the defendants intentionally concealed physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, food and clothing deprivation, and forced labor from parents and regulators. It claimed the camp marketed itself as “more than 90% effective” at treating depression and mental health diagnoses while placing children in “secluded, unsupervised” and “life-threatening” settings with untrained staff and peers. The suit was filed on behalf of a plaintiff identified as “John Doe” and seeks class certification.8Justice Law Collaborative. Press Release: Justice Law Collaborative Files Lawsuit Against Trails Carolina
A separate federal lawsuit filed in June 2025 on behalf of a former camper who attended both Trails Carolina and the affiliated Asheville Academy for Girls alleged “systematic abuse and exploitation,” including physical and sexual assault, forced labor such as “cleaning kitchens, building stables, and laying railroad track,” and being made to wear diapers during long hikes in freezing weather. The complaint described the programs as a “cash machine for private equity investors” delivering “sham services.”9WIS TV. Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Wilderness Camps Where Children Died
License Revocation and Shutdown
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services moved quickly after Harman’s death. On February 12, 2024, the state ordered the camp to halt new admissions, stop using bivy bags, and remove all remaining children.1CNN. Trails Carolina Camp Death Update Homicide A March 21 inspection cited violations in medication administration, incident reporting, and protection of clients from harm, abuse, neglect, or exploitation.10WBTV. NC DHHS to Revoke Trails Carolina’s License The state assessed $18,000 in administrative penalties.11Carolina Public Press. State Report Reveals More Details About Child’s Death at Trails Carolina
On May 17, 2024, the department formally moved to permanently revoke the license, finding the facility’s violations “endanger the health, safety and welfare of clients.” Trails Carolina submitted a plan of correction and appealed, arguing the revocation was “without a reasonable or sufficient basis,” but the state upheld its findings.12NBC News. Trails Carolina Wilderness Camp Where Boy Died License Revoked The camp has not operated since. Its 32-acre property at 500 Winding Gap Road was listed for sale in August 2024 for $3.2 million.13WLOS. WNC Wilderness Therapy Program Property Up for Sale
Who Is Being Sued
Trails Carolina was operated by Wilderness Training & Consulting LLC, an Oregon-based entity. Its parent organization, Family Help & Wellness, runs multiple residential facilities, including the Asheville Academy for Girls, a therapeutic boarding school in Weaverville, North Carolina.14WLOS. Trails Carolina Parent Company License Issues Raise Concerns The camp’s land was held by a Utah-based entity, Trails NC Holding LLC.15Blue Ridge Now. Trails Carolina Land Up for Sale After Camper Death
In May 2025, a spokesperson for Wilderness Training & Consulting said: “We believe the portrayal of our care and the resident experience is inaccurate, and we are prepared to defend our case in court.”7Asheville Citizen-Times. Lawsuit: Another Camper Alleges Sexual Assault at Trails Carolina
The Asheville Academy for Girls closed in June 2025 after two children died by suicide at the facility within a single month that May. North Carolina DHHS suspended admissions, and the academy voluntarily surrendered its license. Wilderness Training & Consulting was fined $45,000 for health and safety violations tied to those deaths.16Asheville Watchdog. Federal Lawsuit Alleges Abuse, Exploitation of Teen at Asheville Academy for Girls, Trails Carolina A separate state lawsuit filed in July 2025 against the academy alleged negligence, fraud, and failure to supervise a child who repeatedly engaged in self-harm.17Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville Academy Lawsuit: Lack of Supervision Led to Child Self-Harm
The New Federal Law
On December 24, 2024, President Biden signed the Stop Institutionalized Child Abuse Act into law. The legislation mandates federal oversight for privately run youth programs, including therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, wellness programs, and religious academies.18Justice Law Collaborative. Statement on the Signing Into Law of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act Former campers and families pursuing claims against Trails Carolina and Family Help & Wellness are doing so under existing state and federal tort law; the new statute governs oversight going forward and does not resolve the pending cases.