The family of a young boy allegedly sexually assaulted at a residential psychiatric facility in the Pittsburgh area has demanded accountability from the Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, reports CBS News.
Court documents allege that in October 2023, the then-10-year-old boy, was admitted to the facility due to suicidal ideations. Initially, he was placed in his own room, but after a few days, that changed.
“He was placed in a shared room with two other boys, one of whom sexually assaulted him in the middle of the night,” said the family lawyer. “During that assault, no employees of Southwood walked by the room, none of them intervened.”
According to the lawsuit, the door of the room was slightly open when the minor was forced to perform oral sex and raped. It also says that staff knew the suspect was violent and a sexual deviant.
The lawyer said the young victim’s psychiatric treatment had since had to be increased. “He’s had to go back in-patient, and in doing so, he had to be sedated because he was so traumatised by being back in the same setting of the psychiatric hospital.”
Southwood Psychiatric Hospital said it did not comment on pending litigation.
The lawyer said the lawsuit had two aims: “One is to get him the compensation he needs for treatment for the rest of his life, and the other is to hold the hospital accountable.”
The offending minor is facing criminal charges for the assault.
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