Woman comes forward in lawsuit alleging sexual abuse at closed Detroit facility
A new lawsuit filed in Wayne County is raising serious allegations about abuse at a now-shut-down Detroit facility. In a rare move, the woman at the center of it is coming forward using her full name.
The case is filed under the name Shania Norfleet — not "Jane Doe" — a choice her attorneys say is both rare and powerful.
"Other folks don't choose to use their own name, I get that. But for Shania, it's important that she stand up for herself and say, 'You can't do this to me,'" said attorney Ven Johnson.
The lawsuit accuses the Detroit Behavioral Institute and its parent company of allowing years of abuse inside the facility before it shut down in 2022. Attorneys say Norfleet was 14 years old when a supervisor allegedly abused her, which they claim continued for years.
"We are holding the same institutions accountable for not responding to this abuse when it was being reported by people who were being abused," said attorney Carlye Reynolds.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the facility's parent company, Acadia Healthcare, for comment on the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
The lawsuit also claimsNorfleet reported the abuse multiple times, but those reports were ignored.
Her attorneys say this case points to a broader pattern, with dozens of investigations into the facility over the years.
"Children, while they're being abused, they have no concept of being able to obviously insist on their legal rights, and more often than not, don't even often realize it themselves, or don't get help until much later," said Johnson.
While the facility is now closed, attorneys say a change in state law is what allows this case to move forward today.
"It takes a lot to trust anyone else moving forward, so the fact that she is coming forward to try to seek justice and accountability and transparency is huge, and we are very proud of her," said Reynolds.
Last year, several victims filed lawsuits against Detroit Behavioral Institute and Acadia Healthcare, alleging similar accusations. The litigation for that case is still ongoing.
