A former treatment facility in Detroit is the subject of a newly filed lawsuit, alleging that a teen was sexually abused while there.

The Detroit Behavioral Institute and Acadia Healthcare are listed in a new lawsuit filed in the Wayne County Circuit Court. According to the lawsuit, a 17-year-old was sent to the facility in 2015 and was allegedly sexually abused and groomed by a staff member over the next year.

“When he was restraining her, he’d fondle her and grope her. And it was under this sort of idea that he was calming her down,” said attorney Nicholas Wainwright with Gould, Grieco, and Hensley.

According to the lawsuit, the institute had two locations in Detroit, but the state suspended its license in 2022 after continuous abuse allegations.  

Acadia Healthcare currently operates several treatment facilities in Michigan and across the country. CBS News Detroit reached out to the company on Wednesday and is awaiting a response.   

“This is a company with a litany of problems at the state and federal level,” Wainwright told CBS News Detroit.

The lawsuit alleges that a staff member went as far as purchasing underwear for the victim.

“He would buy her lacy underwear, have inappropriate conversations about having affairs and cheating on his wife,” Wainwright said.

Last year, several victims filed lawsuits against Detroit Behavioral Institute and Acadia Healthcare, alleging similar accusations. The litigation for that case is still ongoing.

“How are they making sure, when two people restrain a kid, we’re checking to make sure the way they said it went down is the way it went down,” Wainwright said.

Wainwright alleges that the company started putting profits over people, which is when problems began to escalate.

“Then they stop focusing on things like hiring the top tier indivudals to be there, because they cost more money. They start focusing on how we can do this – cheaper and cheaper and cheaper,” Wainwright said.

According to the lawsuit, the victim suffered extreme emotional damage from her time at the facility.

A Milwaukee Common Council committee, this week, supported legislative action aimed at addressing the city’s food desert crisis on the city’s north side.

At the April 8 Steering and Rules Committee meeting, leaders discussed at length the growing frustration with sudden closures of grocery stores and the minimal notice they said residents received before the businesses shut down.

District 1 Alderwoman Andrea Pratt referenced the sudden January closure by owners of the Aldi near North Sherman Boulevard and West Custer Avenue.

“They left me a voicemail on January 9 to tell me they were closing on January 11, which means that all those people in that neighborhood were left without a grocery store in two days. They found out on the news,” she said.

The committee approved adopting a city ordinance to require licensed food establishments to provide the city written notice of their intent to close a business at least 60 days before the planned closure.

The measure will go up for a vote by the full council.

“They are there, not only to conduct business, but are very much a part of our neighborhoods and very much a part of our community; they have a responsibility, and they have to be accountable,” Pratt said of food businesses.

The planned opening of a grocery store to replace the now-departed Sentry Foods at 64th and Silver Spring Drive in Ald. Mark Chambers Jr.’s district hit a snag.

“The Sentry is going to be re-imaged and repurposed into a grocery called One City Supermarket that will be opening up soon, this month,” he said, “There are still some kinks that are coming out as far as accepting SNAP and things for the federal government, so that’s what’s holding up the grand opening on that one.

A sign posted on the door said the grand opening was scheduled for April 26. It is unclear if the issue Chambers revealed would push the date.

Chambers supported the 60-day notice ordinance along with the resolution to declare food apartheid a public health emergency in the city.

A 2023 article published by Jo Walker for the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability cited Karen Washington, a food justice advocate, for coining the term as drawing attention.

Karen Washington, food justice advocate, organizer, and author, first coined the term food apartheid to draw attention to the “root causes of inequity in our food system based on race, class, and geography.” The article went on to say Washington emphasized “healthy, fresh food is accessible in wealthy neighborhoods while unhealthy food abounds in poor neighborhoods.”

“This [resolution] is necessary because we, as alders on the Northside [of Milwaukee] are severely impacted compared to our counterparts on the south side,” Chambers, who represents District 1 said.

“You shouldn’t wake up in a food desert,” Ald. Pratt added.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The family of Gabriel Mendoza is still searching for justice more than three years after he was killed while working security outside a nightclub in Uptown.

Remembering a night that changed everything

What we know:

Mendoza was working security outside the Firehouse Restaurant and Lounge in Uptown when he was shot just before midnight on a Saturday in October 2022. 

He was in the back of the building, surveying the area and making sure things were safe when shots were fired.

“He’s surveying the ground making sure things are safe and secure, gets caught in crossfire, gets hit in the neck and is still able to usher people inside who were out here into safety,” said Katrina Mendoza, Gabriel’s mother. “That’s what I believe, I don’t know for sure though.”

Police and Mendoza’s family believe there were many people outside the club that night who may have seen or heard something important. 

Investigators think it’s possible some witnesses have not come forward, either because they believe their information is not significant or they assume someone else has already spoken to police.

The club where Mendoza worked is no longer there, but for his mother, returning to the area is still painful. 

“I get a physical reaction when I come into this area like right now as I’m talking to you I feel completely nauseous. This is where somebody took my son’s life, and he was such a light in the world, not just our family but in the community,” said Mendoza.

A mother’s determination and community outreach

Why you should care:

Mendoza’s family has never stopped seeking justice. His mother, Katrina, has rented an LED billboard in hopes of getting answers and calls the investigator on the case weekly. She has also started a nonprofit called The Blue House to help other families dealing with unsolved murders find support and resources.

“I’m hoping the reason that people haven’t said anything is because they don’t think they have enough information, but they might have the missing piece of the puzzle,” said Mendoza.

When asked about her determination to find justice for her son, Mendoza said, “Until my last breath. I’ll be out here telling his story.”

Gabriel Mendoza was known for his serious, protective energy at work, but those who knew him personally remember his sense of humor, love for break dancing and music, and his talent in sports. He was a protector, especially for those who needed it most.

Mendoza’s family and police continue to ask anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Callers can remain anonymous, and every detail could help bring closure to a family and a community still searching for answers.

What we don’t know:

Police have not identified any suspects, and it’s still unclear who fired the shots that killed Mendoza. 

It’s also unknown if any new leads have come in as a result of the billboard or nonprofit outreach.