New Allegations Made, Additional Former Residents Join Teen Challenge Abuse Lawsuit

Teen Challenge Lawsuit Update: 35 Former Residents Allege Abuse, more in Amended Complaint

On June 16, 2026, school abuse attorneys at CohenMalad, LLP filed an amended federal lawsuit on behalf of 35 women who, as minors, were placed in Central Indiana Teen Challenge (now operating as Refuge Girls Academy), a faith-based residential program for teen girls located in Lebanon, Indiana.

The new complaint provides additional allegations about the abuse, neglect, isolation, forced labor and coercive control that minors allegedly endured while living at the facility, to include:

• Basic human rights, including using the bathroom, showering, eating, sleeping, making eye contact or talking, were considered “privileges” that could be taken away by CITC staff at any time. For example, Plaintiff Sukanya Harbin was forbidden from talking for nine months. (page 18)
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• Plaintiff Makayla Launius was allegedly taken from her bedroom in Missouri in the middle of the night, transported to CITC by strangers, and forced to wear weighted shoes and a leash during the trip. (page 16)
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• Every Plaintiff, whether brought by force or by family members, was allegedly subjected to a humiliating strip search upon arrival that included squatting and inspection of her naked body by staff, and sometimes by a student “mentor.” (page 16)
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• Plaintiffs were allegedly isolated in a “safe room” or “prayer room” for days or weeks, sometimes with no bed, blanket, pillow, reading material or human interaction beyond delivery of the same meal each day. Plaintiff Chelsie Turlich was allegedly placed in the “safe room” alone for three weeks. (page 22)
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• While isolated, some Plaintiffs allegedly were denied access to a locked restroom for hours at a time. When staff ignored their pleas, girls allegedly urinated into the sink. (page 22)
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• Plaintiff Christine Hong allegedly complained for months about a worsening ear infection while CITC cut off communication with her mother. Dawn Rose allegedly ignored her pleas for care until her eardrum ruptured. (page 38)
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• Plaintiff E.A., then only 12 or 13,was allegedly taken late at night to a church where a priest performed something akin to an exorcism by forcing her to kneel and repeatedly dunking her head into buckets of water. The complaint alleges she coughed, choked, vomited and was left with visible bruises on her neck. (page 40)
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• Some Plaintiffs and residents allegedly were forced to perform heavy labor at universities in Indiana and Illinois, including Butler University and Purdue University. The complaint alleges CITC was paid for the girls’ work, including 12-hour workdays building or tearing down heavy student bunks and helping students move, but the girls received no pay. (page 31)

• CITC allegedly used extreme physical punishment, including military-style exercise in extreme heat and forcing girls to run for miles down a country road while a CITC van followed behind. Staff inside the van allegedly mocked or shamed girls while they struggled. (page 19)
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• Plaintiff Hannah Scragg was allegedly forced to exercise in extreme heat after vomiting so severely she was bringing up bile. Plaintiff Chelsie Turlich was allegedly forced to run in the heat for hours without water breaks. Another resident allegedly was forced to run and wear a backpack containing approximately 60 pounds of canned food for about a month. (page 19)
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• Plaintiff Emily Courtney was allegedly physically assaulted by Defendant Dawn Rose on several occasions, including one instance where Rose allegedly dragged her up a set of stairs by her hair. (page 19)
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• Plaintiff Hannah Scragg allegedly made a suicide gesture to get out of CITC. The complaint alleges Dawn Rose grabbed her bleeding wrists, lifted her off the floor, slammed her onto a bed, held her down and then falsely reported to police that Hannah had threatened other residents with a knife. (page 24)
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• Plaintiff Brooke Pietrouski allegedly lost her clothing privileges and was forced to wear a trash bag. Other residents allegedly were punished with “freeze outs,” where girls traveled in a van in winter with the windows down and without coats or hats. (pages 23-24)
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• Plaintiffs and other residents were allegedly forced to eat moldy, stale, wilted, outdated, undercooked or spoiled food, and some were forced to keep eating even while vomiting into trash bins and buckets in the dining area. (pages 24-25)
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• Plaintiffs and other residents allegedly performed unpaid labor for at least four hours every weekday and at least six hours each weekend day. They allegedly cleaned, cooked, maintained the facility, performed landscaping, cleaned vehicles, emptied tampon bins, painted walls, built bunk beds and deep-cleaned areas to make the facility “tour ready.” (pages 26, 29)
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• Plaintiffs and other residents allegedly were forced to cut the facility’s lawn on their hands and knees with child safety scissors for hours in all kinds of weather, with inadequate breaks or hydration. They were also allegedly forced to maintain property owned by Dawn and Dave Rose, their friends and Missy Bowman, including using a dangerous log splitter without training or safety gear. (page 27)
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• Donated hygiene and comfort items allegedly intended for CITC residents were stored in the Roses’ barn and not shared with residents. After hours of heavy unpaid labor at the Rose property, residents allegedly were allowed to choose only one comfort item, such as shampoo or body lotion. (pages 27-28)
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• CITC allegedly denied or ignored serious medical and mental health needs. Plaintiff Kaysie Peyton allegedly attempted suicide after being taken off antidepressants cold turkey, but Defendant Missy Bowman allegedly sought no treatment and mocked her. Plaintiff Delia Simon allegedly tried to hang herself, but Bowman refused to take her for medical or psychiatric care. (pages 33-34)
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• Plaintiff Aubree Davis allegedly overdosed on approximately 20 doses of Dramamine and became seriously ill. When she asked to go to the hospital, Bowman allegedly laughed and told her to lie down. Aubree allegedly remained bedridden for three days. (page 34)
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• Plaintiffs and residents allegedly were punished, isolated and subjected to prayer sessions for being gay, perceived as gay, or otherwise LGBTQIA+. Plaintiff Emily DuPuis was allegedly locked in the “safe room” for an anti-gay prayer session. (page 41)
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• CITC allegedly failed to tell Plaintiffs and their families that it was not an accredited high school and could not provide a legitimate high school diploma recognized by most colleges and universities. Plaintiffs allegedly were left academically behind and forced to seek a GED or additional schooling after leaving CITC. (pages 42-43)

This list, and the additional allegations in our complaint, are just some examples of a broader system of control utilized by CITC leadership and staff, as they worked to keep vulnerable girls compliant while their families paid for what they believed was safe, faith-based care.

New Counts Added

We allege the following 10 counts:‍

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