Universal Health Services: South Carolina Lawsuit Alleges Physical, Sexual Assault at Palmetto Pee Dee Psych Facility

August 6, 2025

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — By the time Palmetto Pee Dee Behavioral Health closed its doors in Florence in the summer of 2019, it had already been hit with more than $35,000 in fines by state regulators for dozens of violations, including failures to report resident abuse.

Now, a newly filed lawsuit paints a disturbing picture of what a former resident of the child and adolescent treatment center allegedly endured. It contains graphic claims of rape and physical assault that attorneys say is a microcosm of what happens at other Universal Health Services subsidiaries.

News13 reached out to a Universal Health Services spokesperson late Tuesday afternoon.

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