$10.5 million awarded for teen’s death

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 12 (UPI) — A $10.5 million settlement has been reached between Philadelphia and the family of a teenager who died at a Tennessee treatment center, court records show.

In return for the money, the family of Omega “Manny” Leach has agreed to drop all claims against the city of Philadelphia and the Department of Human Services, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday.

Leach, 17, was sent to the Chad Youth Enhancement Center in Tennessee despite warnings that the facility was dangerous, the newspaper said.

Attorney Thomas P. Kline said a key piece of evidence in the federal lawsuit he filed on behalf of the family was a photograph from a surveillance camera showing a technician at the clinic with both hands around Leach’s neck as he pinned him to the floor.

Tennessee authorities ruled the teen’s death a homicide but the mental health worker who placed him in a restraint hold has not been charged with a crime.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/02/12/105-million-awarded-for-teens-death/UPI-13681266000890/