A new lawsuit filed in Wayne County this week paints a grim picture of life inside the now-closed Detroit Behavioral Institute, alleging a 17-year-old girl was sexually abused multiple times by a staff member, including while she was physically restrained. The complaint targets the facility’s corporate owner, Acadia Healthcare, accusing the company of ignoring and concealing warning signs and seeking damages for what attorneys describe as a culture of exploitation. Lawyers say the case adds to a growing stack of survivor accounts and lawsuits that point to systemic failures at the Detroit youth program.
According to ClickOnDetroit, the suit was filed on behalf of a plaintiff identified as Jane Doe by Gould Grieco & Hensley PLLC in the Circuit Court of Wayne County and alleges the abuse occurred in or around 2015 when the girl was 17. The complaint, ClickOnDetroit reports, says the staff member abused the teen more than once, including while she was physically restrained, and that the misconduct continued after her discharge. It lists 12 counts, including negligence, premises liability and civil conspiracy.
What Is in the Court Filing
The complaint, more than 100 pages according to the filing, lays out detailed allegations about assaults, witness accounts and institutional failures at DBI. The court documents describe incidents the plaintiff says happened while she was a resident, and the filing names DBI and its operators and managers, as shown in the materials posted on Scribd.
Attorneys Say This Follows an Earlier Suit
Attorneys representing survivors say the new Jane Doe filing builds on a March 2025 lawsuit brought by Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley on behalf of three women and that dozens more have since come forward. CBS Detroit reported on the earlier suit, and the law firm says more than 40 former residents have contacted lawyers. FOX 2 Detroit attended a March 2025 press conference where survivors described threats and retaliation for speaking out.
State Action and Oversight
State regulators ordered DBI to stop operating in 2022 amid dozens of licensing and maltreatment complaints, and DBI agreed to a multi-year suspension of its licenses that effectively shuttered the program. Outlets that covered the shutdown at the time include Prison Legal News.
Acadia's Response
Acadia Healthcare, which owns DBI, issued a statement saying it takes these allegations seriously but that the picture being painted of Acadia and the quality of care provided by our facilities is inaccurate, adding that it intends to defend the case vigorously. Local outlets have published the company statement and lawyers' remarks from press conferences, and FOX 2 Detroit published Acadia’s full comment.
Legal Claims and Next Steps
The complaint seeks monetary damages and lays out counts that include sexual battery, negligence and civil conspiracy, and the plaintiffs' lawyers are asking that prior investigations be reopened and that regulators and prosecutors take a fresh look at the allegations. Copies of the filing and reporting show no public criminal charges have resulted so far from allegations tied to DBI, and lawyers said they hope the civil case will spur renewed scrutiny. The complaint, filed on Scribd, outlines the counts and attorneys' statements.
What to Watch
Attorneys at press events have urged other former residents or families with information to contact their offices, and they say the lawsuits are meant to push regulators and prosecutors to re-examine past probes. The civil cases will proceed through Wayne County's courts and could take months or longer to resolve, and reporters will be watching new filings and any official responses from Acadia or state agencies.
