Skip to content Claims involving Illinois psychiatric and behavioral health facilities allege sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children, along with chronic understaffing, negligent hiring and failures to protect patients. A $535 million jury verdict in 2024 and allegations involving more than 100 children at Hartgrove Hospital demonstrate the enormous scope and severity of the litigation now surrounding these facilities.
The Illinois behavioral health facility abuse litigation centers on allegations that children and teens were harmed while receiving psychiatric or residential treatment.
Former patients and their families say staff sexually, physically and emotionally abused young people at facilities including Hartgrove Hospital, Riveredge Hospital, Streamwood Behavioral Health, Pavilion Behavioral Health and the now-closed Rock River Academy.
The claims don’t just focus on individual employees. They also accuse facility operators of chronic understaffing, poor hiring and supervision, and putting business concerns ahead of patient safety.
Some allegations are especially troubling. Families say children who reported abuse were sometimes sedated, placed on lockdown or otherwise punished instead of protected. Other claims allege that employees accused of misconduct were transferred rather than removed.
These concerns have also drawn scrutiny beyond the lawsuits. A 2022 U.S. Senate Finance Committee staff report examined allegations of abuse and neglect involving children at behavioral health facilities operated by several large companies, including Universal Health Services (UHS).
This guide reviews what survivors and families have alleged, the major verdicts and lawsuits already on record, and what legal options may still be available.
The claims involve several UHS-operated psychiatric and residential treatment facilities in Illinois, including facilities that treated children and teens.
| Facility | Location | Lawsuit Overview | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartgrove Hospital | Chicago | More than 100 former patients have been represented in claims involving Hartgrove and other Illinois UHS facilities. Allegations include sexual, physical and emotional abuse, ignored complaints and retaliation against young patients who spoke up. | Open |
| Riveredge Hospital | Forest Park | Lawsuits and federal inspection findings have raised concerns about sexual assaults, supervision of vulnerable patients and how staff responded to abuse allegations. | Open |
| Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System | Streamwood | Former patients have alleged sexual abuse, unsafe restraint and seclusion practices, inadequate supervision and failures to protect children in the facility's care. | Open |
| The Pavilion Behavioral Health System | Champaign | A jury found the facility negligent after a 13-year-old patient was sexually assaulted by another patient in 2020. The jury initially awarded $535 million; the trial court later reduced the punitive-damages portion of the award. | Open |
| Rock River Academy | Rockford | Former residents alleged sexual assault, physical abuse and unsafe conditions at the residential treatment center for adolescent girls. The facility closed after state scrutiny and investigations. | Closed in 2015 |
Some of the current claims reach back to the early 1990s.
A 2026 federal court opinion involving Hartgrove Hospital says that more than 100 former patients have filed similar lawsuits against Hartgrove and related defendants, with some allegations dating back to the early 1990s. The complaint also points to Chicago Police records that the plaintiff says contain at least 50 reports of abuse at Hartgrove, including reports from 2007, 2010 and 2011.
One current Hartgrove plaintiff says she was abused during three hospital stays in 2010 and 2011, when she was between 14 and 16 years old. The court opinion also describes separate police reports involving a minor patient in 2007, a girl who reported being drugged and raped by a staff member in 2010, and a boy who reported being molested by a hospital attendant later that same year.
The allegations involving other Illinois facilities also go back years. A lawsuit against Rock River Academy was filed in 2015 after former residents alleged sexual abuse and rape by staff. The facility closed that year after state scrutiny.
At Streamwood Behavioral Health, a lawsuit filed in 2025 involves alleged abuse between 2004 and 2006, when the plaintiff was about 10 years old. Another case involved a former Streamwood employee accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old patient in 2017.
And at Pavilion Behavioral Health, the case that produced the $535 million verdict involved the sexual assault of a 13-year-old patient in December 2020.
The important takeaway for survivors is that these cases involve allegations from very different periods, mostly from the 1990s through the 2020s.
So if the abuse happened several years ago, don’t assume that means it’s too late to ask about your legal options.
Illinois filing deadlines can get complicated because these cases don’t all follow the same legal path.
The deadline may depend on when the abuse happened, how old you were, who operated the facility and what type of claim is being brought.
Illinois has changed its laws over time to give some survivors of childhood sexual abuse more time to file. But older cases can still raise questions about which rules apply.
So it can be hard to tell on your own whether the filing deadline has passed.
If you’re not sure whether you still have time to file, it may be worth requesting a free case review.
Someone can look at the basic facts and help explain what options may still be available.
Not sure if you still have time to file a claim?
A free case review can help answer that. The deadline may depend on when the abuse happened, how old you were and which facility was involved.
You don’t need to have a stack of records before asking whether you may have a case.
Some of the most useful evidence may already exist in the facility’s files. That can include medical records, treatment notes, staffing records, incident reports, complaints, medication logs or records showing when a patient was placed in seclusion or on lockdown.
What other people remember may help as well. Maybe you told a parent, sibling, therapist, teacher or another patient what was happening. Maybe someone noticed changes in your behavior after you came home.
If other former patients have made similar allegations against the same staff member or facility, that can be important as well.
And if you don’t have much paperwork yourself, don’t assume there’s nothing to investigate. Records may still exist, even years later.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before asking questions.
Maybe you’re not sure whether what happened counts as abuse. Maybe you don’t know who was responsible. Or maybe you’re worried that too much time has passed.
That’s what a case review is for.
If you’re wondering whether it’s even worth pursuing, it may be worth talking to an attorney. A quick review can help you understand whether you still have options and what the next step might look like.
If you’re unsure, the simplest next step is to request a free case review and find out.
Possibly. Some of the current cases involve allegations dating back many years. The deadline can depend on when the abuse happened, how old you were and which facility was involved, so don’t assume too much time has passed without checking.
You may still have options. Many survivors don’t report abuse at the time because they’re afraid, ashamed, worried they won’t be believed or dependent on the same facility for care. Not reporting it then doesn’t automatically mean you can’t bring a claim now.
Facilities named in claims have included Hartgrove Hospital, Riveredge Hospital, Streamwood Behavioral Health, Pavilion Behavioral Health and the now-closed Rock River Academy.
The allegations involve staff members, supervisors and facility operators. Some claims also focus on whether facilities were understaffed, hired or supervised employees poorly, or failed to act after complaints were made.
No. You don’t need to gather everything yourself first. Records may still exist with the facility or other agencies, and what other people remember can also be important.
A Champaign County jury returned a $535 million verdict in 2024 in a case involving a teenage patient who was sexually assaulted by another patient. The award was later reduced, and the case ultimately settled in 2025 for an undisclosed amount.
Yes. More than 100 former patients have brought similar claims involving Hartgrove and related defendants. Court filings also point to allegations that abuse was reported over a period of many years.
A case review is typically free. If you’re unsure whether what happened to you could still lead to a claim, a review can help you understand what options may be available.