Utah student at 'world class' boarding school died of sepsis after complaints were ignored: lawyer

Goodridge ultimately died of sepsis, which caused all of her organs to fail, while living at the 'therapeutic' Utah boarding school

A 17-year-old student at a "therapeutic boarding school" in Utah died of sepsis after school staff ignored her health complaints, according to recent autopsy results and a lawsuit filed on behalf of the deceased student and her family.

Taylor Goodridge died of peritonitis, an infection of abdomen tissue, followed by sepsis, which caused her organs to fail, in December 2022 at Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah.

"It's something that's easily treated with antibiotics, especially with a healthy 17-year-old," attorney Alan W. Mortensen of Mortensen and Miline told Fox News Digital. "The first signs of peritonitis are vomiting and stomach cramps, both of which Taylor had for… at least two-and-a-half weeks before she died. She was never taken to the hospital. Her complaints were ignored, and she was punished for making the complaints."

The infection eventually spread to her heart, liver, kidney and pancreas, said Mortensen, citing the Utah Medical Examiner's autopsy results.

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Taylor Goodridge died of peritonitis, an infection of abdomen tissue, followed by sepsis, which caused her organs to fail, in December 2022 at Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah. (Dean Goodridge)

Goodridge was allowed to call her parents once a week at the school that touts itself as a "world-class residential treatment center and therapeutic boarding school," but school staff allegedly blocked her access to the phone when she was sick.

Utah Department of Health and Human Services records obtained by Mortensen show Goodridge vomited at least 14 times prior to her death, including seven times within an 11-hour time frame.

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Staff at the school, which has a $12,000 monthly tuition per student, allegedly told Goodridge "that she was faking it and needed to ‘suck it up.'" When the 17-year-old student was experiencing "excruciating pain," school employees told her to "drink water and take aspirin," the lawsuit states.

Taylor Goodridge was allowed to call her parents once a week at the school that touts itself as a "world-class residential treatment center and therapeutic boarding school," but school staff allegedly blocked her access to the phone when she was sick. (Dean Goodridge)

On the day of her death, staff allegedly forced Goodridge to get out of bed, take a shower, and go to the school's medical clinic, where her family's attorneys believe she died.

Diamond Ranch Academy, which is still accepting student enrollees, promises to make a "long-term difference" in the lives of troubled teens, but the Goodridge family and others are demanding the school be shut down for good.

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"We are devastated to learn that Taylor’s death was entirely preventable had Diamond Ranch Academy cared," the girl's parents, Dean Goodridge and AmberLynn Wigtion, said in a recent statement. "We are also dumbfounded that the State of Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services has not held Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for Taylor’s death, settling with Diamond Ranch Academy without any input from our family."

Diamond Ranch Academy, which is still accepting student enrollees, promises to make a "long-term difference" in the lives of troubled teens, but Taylor Goodridge's family and others are demanding the school be shut down for good. (Dean Goodridge)

They continued: "We intend to continue to pursue all avenues to hold Diamond Ranch Academy accountable for her death to make sure this does not happen to other innocent teens and their families." 

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Mortensen mentioned three other separate incidents involving alleged abuse at the school, which could not be reached for comment.

"It is vital that facilities like Diamond Ranch Academy are held accountable," Paris Hilton said in a December 2022 tweet after Goodridge's death. (Google Maps)

"This place should be out of business, and the fact that the state of Utah allowed them to go back into business is beyond," the attorney said, adding that he would "never send" his own child to the school.

Celebrities such as Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, who attended Diamond Ranch Academy, and Paris Hilton, who attended Provo Canyon School in Utah, where she said she was sexually abused, have also called for the school to be shut down, according to Elle magazine.

"It is vital that facilities like Diamond Ranch Academy are held accountable," Hilton said in a December 2022 tweet after Goodridge's death.