Fredericks was apparently held down by the staffers for about 12 minutes after throwing a piece of bread on the floor at Lakeside Academy where he lived, according to an investigation by state officials.
When he became unresponsive, the state investigation found, employees at the home — which houses children in foster care or the juvenile justice system — failed to perform CPR and waited another 12 minutes to call for medical assistance.
Fredericks became a ward of the state after his mother died in her sleep and his "father wasn't in a place where he was able to take care of Cornelius and the family wasn't able to take care of him," Jonathan Marko, an attorney representing Fredericks' family told The Detroit News.
The boy's family is suing Lakeside Academy and its parent company for $100 million, alleging negligence.
Geoffrey Fieger, another attorney working for the family, says the owners of Lakeside Academy, Sequel Youth Services, has refused to share a video of the incident.
