Lawsuit Exposes Systemic Abuse at Defunct Family Foundation School

The allegations describe a regime of terror in the village of Hancock, where families paid up to $80,000 annually for a school that, according to court filings, was staffed by individuals lacking any clinical or educational credentials. Students reported being wrapped in rugs bound with duct tape, strip-searched upon arrival, and hunted with K9 dogs if they attempted to flee. Beyond these physical punishments, the institution allegedly exploited children as unpaid labor, forcing them to maintain the private estate of owners Michael and Cindy Argiros.

A central component of the litigation involves former music teacher Paul Geer. The survivor, who attended the school between 2000 and 2003, alleges that Geer sexually abused him during a chorus trip to Toronto. When the student attempted to report the assault to Michael Argiros, he was silenced and forced into labor as punishment. While Geer was sentenced to 27 years in prison following a 2024 trial, the lawsuit seeks to hold the school’s leadership accountable for their role in the environment that enabled such violence. Argiros has denied these claims in sworn testimony, maintaining he was unaware of any abuse occurring during the school's operation until its closure in 2014.