An 8-year-old boy was assaulted by his roommate at an Alabama healthcare center.
An 8-year-old boy was assaulted by his roommate at an Alabama healthcare center. The young child was a patient at Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center for just eight days before he was physically and sexually abused.
In March 2022, the boy was referred to Laurel Oaks for mental health care. The state licensed facility aimed to aid struggling children needing psychiatric, behavioral, and emotional care.
According to the lawsuit, the child’s father was falsely assured that his son “would be in a private room, monitored… well taken care of, and that his clothes would be washed.” One week after the 56-pound boy checked in to the facility, he was physically abused by his roommate. The abuser was large in stature and had been a resident at the facility for longer than his victim.
A day after the initial physical assault, the abuse shifted to sexual assault: the 8-year-old boy awoke to his roommate performing oral sex on him. His roommate confessed to the abuse, but Laurel Oaks staff did not conduct a sexual assault exam. The facility waited 12 hours before notifying the boy’s parents.
After his comprehensive evaluation at a hospital, the boy’s father demanded that he be released from the care of Laurel Oaks. According to the lawsuit, “an employee tried to pressure him into keeping him there.” Additionally, not all of the boy’s belongings were returned to the family. The clothing that was returned was “soiled.”
Investigators found that the 8-year-old’s roommate had a concerning history of sexual activity during his time at the facility.
This lawsuit also brings similar cases to the forefront: numerous healthcare facilities like Laurel Oaks are considered to be part of the “troubled teen industry… where widespread allegations of abuse and neglect are increasingly coming to light.”
Laurel Oaks remains in the shadows of other past failures. In 2014, a 17-year-old patient was charged with “felony counts of first-degree sodomy.” In 2011, a 40-year-old employee was convicted with the sexual assault of a teenage patient at the facility.
The 8-year-old survivor is represented by a team of lawyers including Birmingham attorney Tommy James. Laurel Oaks Behavioral Center failed to comment on the case, much to the dismay of the child’s legal team.
James noted that the case is “deeply troubling,” and “what our client endured is something no child should ever face. Every child entrusted to the care of facilities like Laurel Oaks deserves protection and safety, not betrayal.”
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
