Three facilities’ licenses canceled after Praxis Landmark was sued

Mishawaka, Indiana – The Praxis Landmark drug rehab center in Mishawaka has experienced the following in less than a month:

• three patients dying in the facility
• being named in a civil suit by nine former patients
• having its state license revoked

Between July 3 and July 9, there were patient deaths. They are William Harris (age 38), Seth Jones (19 years old), and William Breda (46 years old). Their causes of death, according to the St. Joseph’s County Coroner’s Office, are still under investigation.

The Mishawaka facility’s nine former patients filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming Praxis Landmark “failed to prohibit individuals from bringing (sic) drugs in the facility.”

Connor Spachtholz of Anderson, one of the plaintiffs, said that throughout his one-week stay at the facility, he frequently observed drug use at the treatment center.

Additionally this week, the operating permits for the Mishawaka facility as well as the Bluffton and Carmel Praxis Landmark facilities were issued by Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. All three treatment clinics were also instructed to stop taking on new patients and move current patients to different facilities by August 17.

Responding to the license revocations Praxis Landmark said in a statement to the CBS affiliate in South Bend: “We respectfully disagree with this decision and believe it is based on misinformation. We are working with our legal counsel to explore the next steps including an appeal.”