PSR attorney Wyatt Vesperman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the parents of Pipper Bratt, a 14-year old girl who was tragically struck by a vehicle on the roadway outside the Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families campus. At the time of the incident, Pipper was under Casa Pacifica’s care, and just days earlier had been raped and drugged by an alleged sex trafficker after leaving the facility unattended.
The lawsuit seeks to hold Casa Pacifica and its staff accountable for what plaintiffs describe as severe negligence and systemic supervision failures that led to Pipper’s death.
Pipper’s brief involvement with California’s youth behavioral health system was marked by escalating crises. After being removed from her parents’ home in March 2025 due to acute psychiatric episodes, she suffered severe self-harm behaviors, multiple involuntary psychiatric holds, and frequent runaway incidents. By August 2025, it was determined that she required a “higher level of care,” leading to her placement at Casa Pacifica, a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) in Camarillo, California. Casa Pacifica advertises itself as highly structured and offering round-the-clock supervision and intensive clinical care. Yet, the facility maintains an “open campus” policy such that minors can go AWOL (Absent Without Leave) without intervention.
According to the complaint, Casa Pacifica failed from the outset to provide the mandated supervision and specialized care required of STRTPs under California law. The lawsuit describes a pattern of acute behavioral crises and safety violations during Pipper’s placement, including near-daily AWOL episodes, self-harm, and property destruction. During her periods away from the facility unsupervised, Pipper was sexually exploited by 33-year-old Benito Najera, who is now facing multiple criminal charges in Santa Barbara County, including human trafficking and sexual offenses against Pipper and two other residents of Casa Pacifica.
Despite knowing of Pipper’s vulnerabilities and her documented risk as a victim of commercial sexual exploitation, the lawsuit alleges that Casa Pacifica failed to implement the individualized supervision protocols required by the California Department of Social Services.
On September 19, 2025, Pipper attempted to leave the facility yet again. She was struck by an SUV on the roadway outside the campus and sustained catastrophic injuries. She died four days later after being removed from life support.
“California’s youth mental health system is broken. Children in crisis too often have their needs ignored by STRTPs like Casa Pacifica,” said attorney Wyatt Vespermann. “Casa Pacifica failed this family, and it failed the other girls who were also brutally victimized by Benito Najera while under its care. This lawsuit seeks to hold Casa Pacifica accountable for its catastrophic failures, which resulted in a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy.”
Plaintiffs John and Cindy Bratt are seeking damages for negligence, wrongful death, and related claims in an amount to be determined at trial.