Attorney Kim Dougherty Testifies with Paris Hilton on Proposed TTI Legislation

Justice Law Collaborative not only provides legal support for its clients, it extends its advocacy efforts beyond the courthouse steps to the chambers of state and federal legislatures. The firm co-founders have participated in creating and amending state and national laws impacting the rights of citizens - a differentiating cornerstone of the firm.

Most recently, JLC co-founder and troubled teen industry attorney Kim Dougherty testified in a Maryland Judiciary Committee hearing alongside celebrity and advocate Paris Hilton in support of a new bill aimed at protecting young adults from trauma-inducing experiences associated with the troubled teen industry (TTI). Additional participants included government representatives, disability and human rights advocates and TTI survivors, among others.

The bill (HB497), brought forward by Maryland Delegate Vaughn Stewart, is titled the Preventing Abduction in Youth Transport Act. As initially outlined, the bill would prohibit “youth transport companies” from restraining and transporting young adults to troubled teen programs; and to create a path for civil penalties to be filed against these companies should they not comply. HB 497 focuses on regulating teen transport companies by:

• Prohibiting excessive physical restraint, including handcuffs and blindfolds.
• Banning nighttime extractions (pickups between 9 PM and 6 AM), which are often the most traumatic.
• Establishing civil penalties for violations, allowing both individuals and the Attorney General to take legal action against abusive transport companies.

HB 497: Prohibiting transportation companies that transport children to residential child care programs from using certain restraints unless there is an immediate and serious risk of dangerous or disruptive behavior; prohibiting transportation companies that transport children to residential child care programs from picking up children between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.; and authorizing an individual and the Attorney General to bring a civil action against certain transportation companies under certain circumstances.

Delegate Stewart introduced the legislation in partnership with the advocacy wing of Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media. The effort coattails Hilton’s historic advocacy against the troubled teen industry, which led to the December 2024 passage of The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which was also aggressively championed by Hilton.

At the hearing, survivors Emily Block and Sarah Stusek joined Hilton to publicly testify about their abduction experiences including how their shared trauma continues to impact their lives to this day.

Delegate Stewart shared, “These companies lack oversight and forcibly remove minors–often in the middle of the night–without their consent and transport them to therapeutic residential facilities across the country. These transports frequently involve blindfolds, handcuffs, and physical restraints, inflicting lasting trauma and violating fundamental child welfare protections.”

The goal of this legislation is to further dismantle the troubled teen industry from its very entry point – the unregulated restraint and transport of young people in a manner much akin to physical kidnapping. Further, targeted transportation companies operate across state lines and often hide their exact locations. Experts theorize that they use geo-targeting in their digital advertising and marketing efforts, and srike underground deals with troubled teen facilities to encourage exclusive use of their transport services.

Attorney Dougherty, who provided legal industry input, also testified. “We see this legislation as the first step in a broader effort to regulate and to hold accountable the troubled teen industry,” she said. “Currently, there are limited to no existing pathways to legal remedy without legislation like HB497. Your support in this initial phase is crucial.”

For the bill to advance, it must receive a favorable report from the Judiciary Committee before being moved onto the House floor. To watch the full hearing of HB497, click this link.