Patient at Chicago area mental health facility repeatedly raped by employee, lawsuit says
LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) – A patient at a women's mental health facility in southwest suburban Lemont was repeatedly raped by an employee while undergoing treatment, a new lawsuit alleges.
The 24-year-old, listed as Jane Doe, sought treatment for bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit filed by firms Meyers & Flowers and Clark Frost Zucchi. She was a patient at Timberline Knolls, a nationally recognized residential treatment center for women and adolescent girls over 12 with eating disorders, trauma, substance abuse disorders and other mental health issues.
"She thought she could get help there, be in a safe environment, and be with licensed therapists," attorney Pete Flower said.
Doe checked into Timberline Knolls in May 2024. Within days, an employee named Erick Hampton, who was in charge of transporting her and other patients around the facility, took advantage of that role and sexually assaulted her on three different occasions, according to the lawsuit.
Hampton would isolate her and told Doe to go into a private room where patients use telecommunication devices to contact loved ones and raped her, according to the suit. That same day, he forced her and attacked her again.
Doe said she told her roommate about the attacks, who reported it to a staff member, who failed to act on that report promptly, said Flowers.
The lawsuit also alleged that a Timberline Knolls staff member woke Doe up in the middle of the night and accused her of having a "secret affair" with a staff member and that it was captured on security cameras.
Doe checked out of Timberline Knolls a few days later out of fear, according to the lawsuit. She was at the treatment center for less than two weeks.
Flowers said Doe is worse off now than before seeking treatment at Timberline and that the alleged assaults left her damaged.
On their website, Timberline Knolls claims that staff are trained to have a "trauma-informed approach" and use "an approach to care that addresses deeply rooted experiences that may have prevented you from healing."
"The trauma associated with this…it's going to take years of therapy for her to ever trust anymore," Flowers said. "She didn't get the treatment she needed for issues that existed before, and now she has a whole new set of issues."
Doe is now receiving treatment elsewhere.
"The state needs to intervene and figure out what's going on there," Flowers said.
A record of 911 calls for service to the facility obtained by the CBS News Chicago Investigators showed dozens of calls related to criminal sexual abuse or sexual assault since 2018.
On at least eight occasions since 2020, the Lemont Police Department received reports from patients saying they had been sexually assaulted or abused, many of which involved juveniles.
It's not just allegations. In 2019, Timberline Knolls counselor Mike Jacksa was charged with sexually abusing six different women at Timberline Knolls. He's required to register as a sex offender.
Back in 2019, Timberline Knolls said the Mike Jacksa cases were isolated.
"This is a systemic issue at Timberline. It shows when private equity money gets in to healthcare, all they're really concerned about is making money," Flowers said.
Hampton has not been charged criminally.
More victims have come forward since the lawsuit, according to Flowers.
Neither Timberline Knolls or its parent company, Acadia Healthcare, responded to our multiple requests for comment on this story.