DETROIT – A lawsuit has been filed against the Detroit Behavioral Institute, alleging widespread sexual, physical, and psychological abuse of dozens of children.
During a press conference Tuesday, March 11, attorneys from Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley were joined by a survivor who spoke publicly about the allegations for the first time.
More than 35 people have come forward after they were reportedly abused as children at the Detroit Behavioral Institute between 2005-2022. The lawsuit alleges that the children were groomed, sexually assaulted and those that spoke out saw retaliation.
One child who spoke out allegedly was stabbed by a staff member with a pen. Another reportedly dared victims to speak out, saying “no one will believe you.”
“I spoke out. I contacted my mom to get me help because I felt like I was trapped in a jail of horrors,” said one survivor.
She said after she spoke out, people were sent to attack her multiple times.
“I got stabbed in my arm by some worker. I was stabbed by an officer because I spoke out about my sexual abuse,” she recalled. “They knew CPS were coming to question them about my case. They sent someone to fight me and I ended up getting stabbed in the back. I was denied medical treatment even though the nurse told them I needed to go to the hospital and get stitches.”
At another point, she said an employee threatened to send someone to her out-of-state home.
“He told me that if I said anything, he would send people to my house. He gave me my address and told me I wasn’t safe,” she recalled. “And if I say anything, they would send people to my house. He told me he has people available to go to my house. Do you know how much that scared me to worry about my mom that’s home alone?”
In instances where the Detroit Police Department or Health and Human Services were made aware, staff reportedly told authorities the people speaking out had behavioral problems and were lying.
“Staff lied and said these individuals had emotional problems, they were suicidal, they had behavioral problems,” said attorney Martin Gould.
The Detroit Behavior Institute closed in 2022. The attorneys said part of the closure involved a five-year suspension and all investigations into misconduct were dropped at the time.
The lawsuit requests that all prior investigations reopen.
“Every single perpetrator, every single person involved in covering up child sexual abuse has to be held to account,” Gould said. “And we hope, through this process, that there will be criminal investigations into all these perpetrators and those who are complicit in covering up abuse.”
The attorneys allege Detroit Behavioral Institute’s parent company, Acadia Healthcare, is a profit-driven company that has spent more than $400 million in abuse claims over the years while bringing in $3 billion in 2024.
The full 135-page complaint can be read below.
