Hanna Boys Center hit with $2.7 million whistleblower suit

A Sonoma Valley facility for troubled teens has been slapped with a $2.7 million whistleblower lawsuit by a former clinical director who claims he was fired after bringing to light unchecked bullying that caused serious safety concerns.

Timothy Norman, who served in the role at Hanna Boys Center for 31 years, alleges he was dismissed in November after complaining about a lack of response to several incidents, including one in which a boy was teased in a shower and another in which a youth was violated with a lint brush.

After airing his concerns to the center's board of trustees, Norman claims Executive Director Brian Farragher called him into his office and fired him, telling him 'there was no room' in the organization for both of them, according to the suit filed earlier this year in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Norman, 71, claims it was retaliation and is now seeking punitive and other damages.

'There was no rigorous system of discipline when boys prey on one another,' said Norman's lawyer, Vic Thuesen.

Late Thursday, Hanna Boys Center released a statement calling Norman's claims 'false allegations.'

'The record is clear,' the statement read. 'Hanna Boys Center's Board conducted a prompt, comprehensive and independent investigation of the incidents involving students cited in the lawsuit. Neither the Board nor Executive Director Brian Farragher covered up any of these incidents mentioned in Tim Norman's complaint.'

Hanna Boys Center, founded in 1945, is a residential treatment center and school for about 100 at-risk boys on Arnold Drive, associated with the Santa Rosa diocese of the Catholic Church.

Norman oversaw therapists and guided treatment plans. In his lawsuit, he said his concerns about bullying arose in the months after Farragher was appointed in 2014.

When nothing was done, he spoke out about campus violence in a series of staff meetings, suggesting Farragher downplayed the problem. In one meeting, he said Farragher threatened staff members with dismissal, saying, 'If you can't get on board, get off the bus.'

Soon after, Norman contacted board chairman Jack Bertges and was hit with a three-day suspension for 'back-channeling' complaints, the suit said.

His concerns continued over the next two years until October when the board convened a special meeting to address safety issues. Norman was asked to speak candidly about what he saw, he said.

Farragher responded by minimizing the shower and lint brush incidents in an attempt to cover up what was happening, Norman claims.

Twenty-four days later, Norman claims Farragher summarily fired him.

In December, Hanna Boys Center was cited after a counselor was found to be having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a boy. The counselor was fired.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.