SOUTHWOOD PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS 

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pennsylvania

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children were allegedly sexually and physically abused at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Located in Upper St. Clair, this residential psychiatric facility and its parent company, Acadia Healthcare, are the subjects of serious legal allegations regarding the safety of the minors in their care. The allegations against the facility describe harrowing instances of staff-on-youth misconduct and youth-to-youth violence. Court filings detail claims of employees allegedly providing drugs and alcohol to minors in exchange for sexual favors, as well as instances of physical neglect, inhumane restraint practices, and the failure to protect children from known sexual deviants within the residential population. Further reports from former staff and government investigations have highlighted a lack of adequate supervision and claims of over-medication. These lawsuits seek to hold the institution accountable for prioritizing profits over the fundamental safety and duty of care owed to its young patients.

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

History of Sexual Abuse at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pennsylvania

In June 2024, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a sweeping report detailing abuse at residential treatment facilities operated by major healthcare companies, including Acadia Healthcare, the parent company of Southwood Psychiatric Hospital. The report revealed systemic sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, unsafe conditions, inhumane confinement practices, and neglect throughout these facilities.

Examples of alleged abuse at the facility, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In May 2026, Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Pennsylvania faced five new child sexual abuse lawsuits, bringing the total to eight cases alleging years of physical and sexual abuse of patients by other patients and staff members. 

• In July 2025, a lawsuit was filed against Southwood Psychiatric Hospital over alleged abuse of a 10-year-old boy. In October 2023, the boy was moved into a room with two other minors, one of whom was allegedly the perpetrator and had a known history of sexually abusing other children.

• In June 2025, five minors filed a lawsuit against Acadia, which operated Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, accusing staff of years of alleged sexual abuse. 

According to the lawsuit, employees allegedly gave minors cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol in exchange for sexual favors, and staff allegedly threatened victims if they refused the abuse.

One employee was accused of drugging a young girl and groping her. He allegedly forced her to perform oral sex and engage in intercourse.

• In June 2023, employee Tamika Jones was charged for allegedly kicking a patient in the head. 

It was also reported that an 8-year-old boy was allegedly mistreated by other patients, including being bitten, and his mother wasn’t told about it for weeks. 

Former employees alleged that there was roughly one staff member for every 12 children. They also described several alleged instances of abuse, including a child being left covered in feces and another being restrained with tape wrapped around their head and stomach.

• In May 2009, Southwood Psychiatric Hospital, Inc. agreed to pay $150,000 to settle alleged Medicaid fraud. Dr. Stefan Kruszewski, a psychiatrist hired by the state, alleged that Southwood allegedly over-medicated and abused children while charging Medicaid for poor care.

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Pennsylvania Sexual Abuse  Attorneys

In Pennsylvania, the current statute of limitations for civil sex abuse claims is the age of adulthood plus 37 years, which means that survivors sexually abused as minors typically have until the age of 55 to file legal action, as long as they were born after November 26, 1989.

As in other states across the country, Pennsylvania’s current statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims has been criticized for barring numerous survivors from seeking justice and compensation for their damages and for failing to recognize accepted research about the considerable difficulties survivors face when processing their abuse and taking steps to come forward. Thanks to new efforts by advocates and lawmakers, however, there are now several pending measures before the Pennsylvania Legislature that seek to expand the rights of child sex abuse survivors.

These groundbreaking measures, which are expected to pass, will create new opportunities for survivors to step forward and obtain long-overdue justice. If passed, these measures would create a temporary two-year window for child sexual abuse survivors to file claims over abuse that occurred at any time in the past.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at any Pennsylvania juvenile detention and youth residential treatment centers.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.