Negligence and Tort – Jury sides with 13-year-old physically dragged at school

$20 million verdict

Injuries alleged: Physical abuse, with superficial scrapes and bruising

Name of case: Clark v. Grafton School Inc. and Michelle Yates

Court: Winchester Circuit Court

Tried before: Jury

Name of judge: Judge Alexander R. Iden

Date resolved: Feb. 13, 2026

Amount: $20 million

Attorneys for plaintiff: Gray Broughton, Sharif Gray, Zachary Grubaugh and Nathan Hittle, Richmond, Gray Broughton Injury Law

Plaintiff’s experts: None

Defendant’s expert: Dr. Cheryl D. Wills

Case description: A Winchester jury returned a $20 million verdict on behalf of a 13-year-old boy who was physically abused by a staff member at Grafton School, a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Berryville.

Charlie was placed at Grafton due to a history of significant trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. The facility marketed itself as a safe, therapeutic environment for vulnerable youth.

Staff member Michelle Yates physically dragged Charlie across the floor by his clothing, which was wrapped around his neck, while he was a resident at Grafton in December 2022. The incident was captured on surveillance video. A separate video showing Charlie’s condition in the hallway immediately following the incident — which was corroborated by multiple witnesses, including an independent law enforcement officer — was erased by the school and never produced during discovery.

Following the incident, Charlie experienced a significant deterioration in behavior, including increased aggression particularly directed toward women. His treating psychiatrist at Grafton acknowledged she never asked Charlie about the incident and had virtually no knowledge of what occurred, despite its severity.

Charlie sustained superficial bruising and scrapes but did not receive medical treatment for his injuries. He received no counseling specifically related to this incident, and no economic damages were presented to the jury.

The plaintiff called four witnesses, all lay witnesses. The defense called 14 witnesses, including two psychiatrists.

The defense’s theory at trial was that Charlie arrived at Grafton with a host of pre-
existing diagnoses — including PTSD, anxiety, ADHD and ODD — and that the incident caused no additional harm to a child who was already damaged. The plaintiff countered that Charlie’s vulnerability made Grafton’s duty of care greater, not lesser, and that the abuse compounded his trauma in measurable ways. The jury rejected the argument by the defense, which included testimony by an expert whocharacterized the incident as “relatively minuscule.”

The jury rejected the defense’s valuation and returned a $20 million verdict.