Closed Detroit youth mental health facility accused of covering up 'horrific' sexual abuse in new lawsuit
Detroit youth treatment facility accused of covering up alleged sexual abuse
Attorneys Martin Gould and Parker Stinar joined one of the victims, Daejia Roberts, now 22 years old, in announcing the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of three victims who experienced alleged abuse at Detroit Behavioral Institute (DBI). The suit names DBI, along with its parent company Acadia Healthcare, and a supervisor accused of committing much of the reported abuse.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The owner of a now-shuttered Detroit mental health facility for children is facing a lawsuit alleging years of unchecked sexual abuse.
Attorneys Martin Gould and Parker Stinar joined one of the victims, Daejia Roberts, now 22 years old, in announcing the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of three victims who experienced alleged abuse at Detroit Behavioral Institute (DBI).
The suit names DBI, along with its parent company Acadia Healthcare, and a supervisor accused of committing much of the reported abuse.
"It involved grooming, groping, fondling, and rape," Gould said of the alleged abuse.
The backstory:
The lawyers allege that workers not only abused the young patients they were caring for, but also covered up the abuse. Gould described it as "horrific retaliation for speaking out."
Gould said that when DBI agreed to a five-year suspension in 2022, at least seven reports of child sexual abuse had been made to police, and there were pending investigations. However, he said these investigations were put on hold when the facility shut down. The attorney also said the scope of the alleged abuse stretches beyond the cases that were reported to police, noting that some victims did not report the abuse because they were intimidated.
The lawyers say the alleged abuse started in 2005 and continued until the facility closed.
"It went on for far too long," Stinar said.
Roberts said that when she reported sexual abuse, she was intimidated by other residents, and was once allegedly stabbed in the arm by a staff member after speaking out against the abuse.
"They sent somebody to attack me multiple times," she said during a press conference Tuesday. "They (other patients) were brainwashed and groomed and felt like they had to do it to get extra snacks or get extra rewards or stay out late."
She also claims that threats were made against her family when she told her mother about the abuse, and she feared for the safety of her mom, who lived out-of-state alone.
"I'm grown now. I'm not scared to speak," Roberts said.
Gould said other retaliation allegedly included patients being written up more frequently and loss of privileges.
Big picture view:
Stinar said that Acadia, which operated DBI, runs more than 250 youth treatment facilities nationwide. The attorneys and Roberts said they hope the lawsuit helps protect other children from abuse while in these centers.
"It's about other kids right now being abused that don't have a voice," Roberts said. "A child is being sexually abused right now. A child feels like their voice is not being heard right now. So, I am your voice, and I'm going to speak for you. I'm not scared."
Stinar and Gould said they also hope that the lawsuit leads to more investigations into what happened inside DBI before it closed.
"(In) the next few months, we're going to find out a lot more about the full scale of how horrific this place was," Gould said.
What they're saying:
FOX 2 received a statement from Acadia Healthcare about the allegations:
"The well-being of all patients is of the utmost importance to Acadia Healthcare and its affiliated facilities. We take these allegations seriously. While we can’t comment on specific allegations and patient situations due to privacy regulations, the picture being painted of Acadia and the quality of care provided by our facilities is inaccurate. We intend to defend this case vigorously."
The Source: FOX 2 attended a press conference with Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC to report this story.