Acadia Healthcare: Six Former Patients Sue Timberline Knolls Over Sexual Abuses

April 4, 2019

Six former Timberline Knolls patients have sued the private Lemont (Illinois) treatment facility, alleging administrators failed to protect them from a counselor who later was charged with sexual assault and abuse.

The six separate lawsuits allege that the high-end facility for women and girls showed reckless disregard for patient safety by hiring and failing to supervise therapist Michael Jacksa as well as “intentional infliction of emotional distress” on patients who sought treatment for psychological and behavioral disorders.

"The outrageous and extreme abuse of these women has resulted in disabling emotional distress for each of them," said attorney John Nisivaco, who filed the cases. “These lawsuits are the first step in the process of uncovering the truth about what Timberline Knolls knew about Michael Jacksa and when they knew it."

A spokesman for Timberline’s corporate parent, Acadia Healthcare, declined to comment on the lawsuits, which were filed Wednesday in Cook County, but issued a statement saying that Acadia “is absolutely committed to the highest standards of care for our patients.”

“We were deeply troubled by Mr. Jacksa’s predatory behavior and we conducted a thorough investigation into how he manipulated Timberline Knolls’ policies, protocols and procedures, to assure it won’t happen again,” the statement said. “We are committed to ensuring Timberline Knolls always meets our high standards.”

The lawsuits come a month after a March 7 Tribune investigation revealed that administrators at Timberline Knolls waited at least three weeks to contact law enforcement about allegations of abuse against Jacksa.

Timberline terminated Jacksa in August 2018 shortly before he was arrested by Lemont police.

He now faces 62 felony charges alleging he sexually assaulted or abused six patients during therapy sessions last year, as well as one misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly stroking a patient’s groin area. Now awaiting trial in Cook County Jail, he has pleaded not guilty. The new lawsuits represent some of the women cited by prosecutors, as well as other victims who are not part of the criminal case, Nisivaco said.

Since the Tribune report was published, more than a dozen former patients and staff have approached the newspaper with accounts alleging substandard treatment and abuse at the facility.

A Tribune examination of Lemont police reports and other government records found that when patients made allegations about Jacksa, Timberline officials first conducted internal investigations and took weeks to alert authorities. In one case, records show, facility staff questioned a victim with Jacksa present; overwhelmed by shame, she returned to her room and attempted suicide, according to police reports reviewed by the Tribune.

Known for having treated celebrities such as the singers Demi Lovato and Kesha, the nationally known treatment center is one of 215 U.S. facilities operated by Acadia. Founded in 2005 by Chicago private-equity investor Reeve Waud, it is one of America's biggest and fastest growing behavioral treatment firms.

But last year, a class-action lawsuit filed in Nashville, Tenn., federal court accused the company of misleading shareholders by concealing financial problems — a charge Acadia has denied.

Timberline hired Jacksa as a licensed clinical counselor in the winter of 2017, enabling the facility to fulfill a special component of its program: counseling based on New Testament scriptures. Timberline is open to nonbelievers and people of all faiths but also has promoted a "Christian Treatment Path."

Jacksa's alleged abuse of patients began in December 2017, court and police records state. Former patients told police that Jacksa subjected them to rape, forced oral sex, digital penetration and fondling beneath their clothes.

Police reports obtained by the Tribune showed Timberline staff conducted internal investigations, twice suspending and reinstating Jacksa.

Following the revelations about Jacksa, Timberline said it increased the frequency of staff checks on therapy rooms and conducted fresh background checks on all employees, among other changes.

To protect the identities of the six alleged victims, Nisivaco’s lawsuits name them only as "Jane Doe." The complaints do not specify the dollar amount of damages sought.

"The lawsuit seeks to shed light on the way in which Timberline hired, supervised and retained Jacksa,” Nisivaco said. “Timberline Knolls will now have to answer the question as to how it allowed Michael Jacksa to manipulate its policies, protocols and procedures in order to carry out these horrific acts.”

Source: “6 lawsuits claim abuse, safety lapses at Timberline Knolls treatment facility,” Chicago Tribune, April 4, 2019. URL: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-timberline-knolls-lawsuits-20190404-story.html