Five new lawsuits filed against Southwood Psychiatric Hospital accuse the facility of allowing what a plaintiffs’ attorney describes as horrific abuse involving children who were sent there for treatment and care.Attorney Amy Mathieu, who represents the plaintiffs, said the allegations span more than a decade and involve patients between the ages of 10 and 17. According to the lawsuits, the abuse included peer-to-peer sexual assaults, staff-on-patient sexual abuse, and physical abuse by staff members.“Going through something like this is incredibly traumatizing,” Mathieu said.The children named in the lawsuits were being treated for issues including developmental disabilities, depression, self-harm, aggression and threats of self-harm, according to the complaints. Instead of receiving help, Mathieu said, they were abused while staying at the facility.”We’re looking at the most vulnerable people that we have in our communities. Not only are they children, but they’re children who are so desperate for mental health treatment that they are being checked into a facility to stay away from their family, away from their friends, away from their school, and so we’re taking them out of their own communities, putting them in this facility, and more times than not, they’re leaving the facility worse off than when they went in there,” Mathieu said.The lawsuits describe several disturbing allegations, including the physical assault of a 15-year-old boy with autism by a staff member, sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl by her roommate, and claims that a 10-year-old boy was lured into a bathroom by another patient and forced to perform sexual acts. Another lawsuit alleges a 17-year-old patient was physically restrained and sexually assaulted by a staff member.Mathieu said the five new cases may represent only a fraction of the alleged abuse.“We think there are more victims out there,” she said. “This is going on for decades.”Three similar lawsuits were filed against Southwood last year, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to eight.A Southwood spokesperson provided the following statement to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Thursday evening:”For more than 40 years, Southwood Children’s Behavioral Healthcare has served children and adolescents facing complex and acute behavioral health challenges as the region’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to their care. As a fully licensed and independently accredited inpatient treatment center, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that compromises patient care and take any allegation of misconduct seriously.”We will not comment on threatened litigation. Any claims will be addressed through the appropriate legal process.” Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
UPPER ST. CLAIR, Pa. —
Five new lawsuits filed against Southwood Psychiatric Hospital accuse the facility of allowing what a plaintiffs’ attorney describes as horrific abuse involving children who were sent there for treatment and care.
Attorney Amy Mathieu, who represents the plaintiffs, said the allegations span more than a decade and involve patients between the ages of 10 and 17. According to the lawsuits, the abuse included peer-to-peer sexual assaults, staff-on-patient sexual abuse, and physical abuse by staff members.
“Going through something like this is incredibly traumatizing,” Mathieu said.
The children named in the lawsuits were being treated for issues including developmental disabilities, depression, self-harm, aggression and threats of self-harm, according to the complaints. Instead of receiving help, Mathieu said, they were abused while staying at the facility.
“We’re looking at the most vulnerable people that we have in our communities. Not only are they children, but they’re children who are so desperate for mental health treatment that they are being checked into a facility to stay away from their family, away from their friends, away from their school, and so we’re taking them out of their own communities, putting them in this facility, and more times than not, they’re leaving the facility worse off than when they went in there,” Mathieu said.
The lawsuits describe several disturbing allegations, including the physical assault of a 15-year-old boy with autism by a staff member, sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl by her roommate, and claims that a 10-year-old boy was lured into a bathroom by another patient and forced to perform sexual acts. Another lawsuit alleges a 17-year-old patient was physically restrained and sexually assaulted by a staff member.
Mathieu said the five new cases may represent only a fraction of the alleged abuse.
“We think there are more victims out there,” she said. “This is going on for decades.”
Three similar lawsuits were filed against Southwood last year, bringing the total number of plaintiffs to eight.
A Southwood spokesperson provided the following statement to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Thursday evening:
“For more than 40 years, Southwood Children’s Behavioral Healthcare has served children and adolescents facing complex and acute behavioral health challenges as the region’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to their care. As a fully licensed and independently accredited inpatient treatment center, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that compromises patient care and take any allegation of misconduct seriously.
“We will not comment on threatened litigation. Any claims will be addressed through the appropriate legal process.”
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.