In the lawsuit, Judith Newman contends the WWASP-affiliated school misled her about her daughter’s progress and condition, ignored signs that the girl had become suicidal, and contributed to her death through a series of harsh punishments that included multiple periods of solitary confinement and refusing to allow the girl to have any contact with her parents throughout her stay.

The defendants, represented by San Francisco attorney William Kronenberg, say Judith Newman failed to disclose previous suicide threats by Karlye before the girl was enrolled in Spring Creek Lodge Academy, and signed off on Spring Creek’s methods prior to enrolling her daughter.

Reports say that WWASP, which is said to have generated as much as $90 million per year from the tuition for the many schools it operated or was associated with, is no longer in business, but still exists on paper so that its insurance company will continue to pay its attorneys.

WWASP is the subject of several lawsuits besides Newman’s. The largest is a federal suit involving 353 parents and former students who accuse the firm of assault, battery, false imprisonment, fraud and racketeering.