Three women who were housed at a now-closed Detroit youth treatment center have filed a lawsuit, accusing a man who was a supervisor of sexually abusing them when they were teenagers.

The women, who are referred to as Jane Doe 1, 2 and 3 in the lawsuit, said the abuse occurred at the Detroit Behavioral Institute when they were 15 and 16 years old in 2017 and 2018, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also named the institute's parent company, Acadia Healthcare.

Stiner Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC filed the lawsuit in the Wayne County 3rd Circuit Court and said more than 40 people have come forward to speak out on alleged abuse from the last 20 years.

"I'm fighting for our justice. We will be heard, and it's not just about us. We are grown adults now. It's about other kids right now who are abused that don't have a voice," said Daejia Roberts, who spoke at a press conference on Tuesday.

The lawsuit also alleges that other staff members were aware of the abuse and even retaliated against the teens for reporting it, and the supervisor used other young residents to "bully and attack certain residents," including the three teens. 

"This is a uniquely egregious case involving one of the largest providers of hospital and youth residential treatment services in the country, Acadia Healthcare, and the wholly-owned Acadia Healthcare subsidiary entities that it created, controlled, and profited from, who ignored, covered up, and otherwise tolerated a culture of child sexual abuse and exploitation at its facilities, including at DBI," read the lawsuit.

Acadia Healthcare sent CBS News Detroit the following statement:

"The well-being of all patients is of the utmost importance to Acadia Healthcare and its affiliated facilities. We take these allegations seriously. While we can't comment on specific allegations and patient situations due to privacy regulations, the picture being painted of Acadia and the quality of care provided by our facilities is inaccurate. We intend to defend this case vigorously."  

The lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe 1 was 15 years old at the time when the supervisor abused her, even threatening to send someone to her home if she told anyone. 

While on the phone with her mother, the teen reported the abuse, resulting in the girl's mother calling Child Protective Services, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that before the girl was interviewed by CPS, the supervisor was "seeking to intimidate her into silence." The supervisor was removed from the unit and was replaced by a woman supervisor, who called the teen "fast" and a "rat." The lawsuit alleges that the woman supervisor sent other residents to fight the teen as retaliation and stabbed the teen with her car keys.

According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe 1 asked for medical assistance but was ignored and placed in a restraining room. The teen was eventually taken to a nurse, who advised that the teen should get stitches. However, the teen was forced to care for the wound herself and developed a keloid scar that has caused her pain into her adulthood, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit claims that Jane Doe 2, who was 15 years old at the time, was allegedly abused by the male supervisor in 2018. The teen said that during a fight with another resident, the supervisor restrained and sexually assaulted her. A staff member who overheard Jane Doe 2 telling another staff member about the assault allegedly called her a "snitch" and a "rat," according to the lawsuit. In response, the teen stopped talking about the alleged abuse. The lawsuit alleges that the male supervisor directed other residents to jump Jane Doe 2 for reporting the abuse to a staff member, even watching the fight.

The lawsuit states that Jane Doe 3 was allegedly abused in 2017 when she was 16 years old. The teen was pregnant at the time, and the supervisor allegedly touched her on numerous occasions and raped her, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the supervisor "sought to coerce and intimidate Jane Doe 3 into compliance and silence, telling her among other threats that if she screamed or said anything, he would make Jane Doe 3 do extra time at DBI, and boasted that 'I run this place.'" The supervisor also allegedly choked Jane Doe 3 when she told him she was going to report him, according to the lawsuit.

Jane Doe 3 never reported the abuse out of fear of the supervisor extending her time at the institute or having to give birth to her child at the center, the lawsuit said.

Stiner Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC is calling for a police investigation into everyone involved. Attorneys said they hope the lawsuit brings light to child sex abuse in Michigan and across the country.  

"Candidly, this is a patient population that our society doesn't care about the way that they should," said attorney Parker Stinar.