Ruby Franke’s ex-husband is suing his partner Jodi Hildebrandt for allegedly causing him “financial and emotional distress.”
Ruby Franke, 42, pleaded guilty in December to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced in February to up to 30 years in prison.
Franke’s partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, whom he described as his “mentor,” received the same sentence.
Prosecutors accused the former business partners of starving and abusing Franke’s own children while dispensing brutal parenting advice on social media.
Franke’s husband, Kevin, has filed a lawsuit alleging that he and their children were victims of alleged emotional distress and negligence on the part of Hildebrandt.
Kevin Franke, seen here with his ex-wife Ruby, filed a lawsuit alleging that he and his children were victims of alleged emotional distress and neglect by Jodi Hildebrandt.
Jodi began living with the couple after Kevin and Ruby tried to help her fight “evil spirits” and “cast out demons.”
Ruby (pictured left), 42, was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison in February for brutally abusing her 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter in a “concentration camp-like environment” . Jodi (pictured right), 54, was also sentenced to up to 30 years behind bars.
KUTV reported that the lawsuit filed by Franke cites “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” “negligent infliction of emotional distress” and “negligence.”
The complaint alleges that Hildebrandt acted without regard to the likelihood of causing emotional distress to Franke and each of her children.
He alleges that Franke suffered serious and/or extreme emotional distress caused by his actions.
Claim that you have suffered past and future economic and non-economic damages, pain, emotional distress, loss of quality of life, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Franke seeks a judgment on damages, along with pain and suffering, loss and damages and all other general damages, as well as costs and attorneys’ fees.
A written statement from Randy Kester, who represents Kevin Franke, on Franke’s behalf, said: “This lawsuit marks a significant step in our journey toward seeking justice for myself and my children against the abuse inflicted by Ms. Hildebrandt.” .
‘EM. Hildebrandt used his authority and his professional training as a weapon to cause tremendous harm to me, my children, and my family.
“I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure this dangerous woman never harms another person again and to seek healing and the long-term well-being of my children.”
The complaint alleges that Hildebrandt acted without regard to the likelihood of causing emotional distress to Franke and each of her children. Ruby and Kevin are seen here.
Child Protective Services detained the two children, along with their two older brothers, after arriving at Ruby’s home to arrest her.
Defendant Ruby Franke looks on during court on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 in St. George, Utah.
Defendant Jodi Hildebrandt looks on during court on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in St. George, Utah.
The couple had hired Hildebrandt as a family therapist in 2021, but she convinced them to separate a year later.
Franke became an internet sensation thanks to her 8 Passengers YouTube channel, where viewers watched how she and Kevin raised and disciplined their six children.
But shocking allegations emerged late last year that Franke, a Mormon, had spent years abusing her children.
Franke was arrested along with her partner Jodi Hildebrandt and the The couple pleaded guilty in late December.
The initial arrests occurred in August of last year after Franke’s 12-year-old son, Russell, crawled out of a window at Hildebrandt’s house, malnourished and with tape on his ankles.
A man, who later described the boy as “emaciated,” dialed 911 while his wife offered Russell water and some fruit.
The 12-year-old boy told police he had tried to escape a month earlier, prompting his own mother to handcuff his wrists and ankles.
After the daring escape, the police ventured back inside in search of Eve, the boy’s nine-year-old sister, whom they had not seen for a month.
A neighbor who called 911 described the boy (seen here in doorbell footage) as “emaciated.”
Russell was severely malnourished at the time of his escape. He told police that Hildebrandt tied his wrists and ankles with rope before she and her mother “used cayenne pepper and honey to bandage the wounds.”
While Russell and Eve were regularly denied food, crime scene photos show a fully stocked pantry.
Police found 9-year-old Eve hiding in a closet inside the dirty house and were able to convince her to come out after four agonizing hours.
The malnourished girl, whose head had been shaved, was found sitting cross-legged inside a closet. She was convinced to get to safety after a four-hour effort that culminated in officers asking her for pizza.
Franke, a mother of six, later admitted to forcing the children to work in oppressive heat for hours with little food and water.
Twelve-year-old Russell suffered severe sunburn after working outdoors for several weeks without proper protection.
While Franke and Hildebrandt regularly withheld food from the children, crime scene photos showed a pantry full of snacks and canned goods.
Both Russell and Eve were told they were possessed and that “punishments were necessary to repent,” according to court documents.
The women “regularly sought to indoctrinate” Russell “and convince him that he was evil,” viewing the abuse as “acts of love.”
The inhumane living conditions were exposed when Russell escaped from the home in August 2023 and ran to neighbors for help.
Searching the property, police recovered a mixture of cayenne pepper and honey that was used to dress the children’s wounds and several coils of rope.
Russell told police that Hildebrandt tied her wrists and ankles with rope before she and her mother “used cayenne pepper and honey to bandage the wounds,” documents show.
Officers later recovered a container of the mixture with a spoon submerged inside and a coil of rope next to it.
Hildebrandt, 54, is divorced and separated from her own children. She claimed to specialize in sex addiction, but she was reprimanded by the state in 2012 for having an inappropriate relationship with a client.
In the weeks after the couple’s arrest in August 2023, videos circulated in which Ruby happily talked about forcing her son to sleep in a beanbag as punishment and refusing to bring her daughter a school lunch after she herself he forgot to pack it.
Franke and her ex-husband, Kevin, hired Hildebrandt as a family therapist in 2021. But Hildebrandt finally convinced the couple to separate a year later.
Franke subsequently deleted her YouTube channel, which had more than 5 million subscribers at the time, before taking on a role as a mental health consultant at Hildebrandt’s company, ConneXions.
They launched a new YouTube channel under the same name and created a joint Instagram account called Moms of Truth to sell their parenting classes.