Residential treatment centers are located in many cities across the United States. These specialized facilities offer inpatient and outpatient programs for vulnerable populations, such as individuals struggling with mental health concerns, addiction, or behavioral challenges.
Residential treatment centers must prioritize patient needs, which requires quality services, safety practices, and adherence to professional standards. When these standards are not met, patients are at risk of suffering from abuse, including sexual abuse, negligence, or medical malpractice.
Every patient in a residential treatment center has the right to quality care, dignity, and protection from harm. If these rights have been violated, an Illinois residential treatment center abuse lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help victims of abuse, negligence, or harm pursue justice and recover compensation against the at-fault parties.
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About Timberline Knolls
Timberline Knolls provides specialized residential treatment focusing on women and adolescent girls struggling with eating disorders, addiction, and mental health conditions. This state-licensed facility offers comprehensive care in a supportive healing environment.
Overview
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center is a mental health and behavioral clinic in Lemont, Illinois, with 122 licensed beds. This residential and outpatient treatment center is located at 40 Timberline Drive, Lemont, IL 60439.
Timberline Knolls specializes in adult women and adolescent girls struggling with addiction, depression, eating and substance use disorders, and other mental health concerns. The facility offers a partial hospitalization program, an inpatient program, and an intensive outpatient program.
Ownership and Affiliations
Though this facility is widely known as Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, its legal business name is Timberline Knolls, LLC. It was purchased in 2012 by Acadia HealthCare Company. This network oversees 258 healthcare facilities across 38 states, with roughly 11,400 beds.
Acadia Healthcare owns several residential treatment centers in the Midwest, including:
- Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center
- StoneCrest Center
- Harbor Oaks Hospital
Notable Legal Actions Against Timberline Knolls
The purpose of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center is to promote lasting healing and quality services from compassionate professionals. Adolescent girls and adult women who are facing mental health challenges can find support and care at this facility.
Unfortunately, Timberline Knolls has failed to live up to its promises on numerous occasions. In some cases, these failures have even led to legal action against the facility and its staff. Here are some notable cases and complaints involving Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
Male Counselor Investigated For Sexually Abusing Six Women at Timberline Knolls
Mike Jacksa was a counselor at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. In 2019, he was charged with sexually abusing six women who were staying in the facility.
When victims initially brought allegations against Jacksa, the facility delayed investigating the matter for several weeks. Multiple women who came to the facility seeking support and lasting healing ended up facing a nightmare. During the investigation, Jacksa was suspended numerous times and then reinstated.
In one allegation, the sexual abuse victim had written about the encounter in her journal. After this entry was discovered, she was confronted by hospital staff with Jacksa present. This violates laws that state a sex crime victim should never be forced to discuss their experience with the offender present [1].
Staff Member Repeatedly Sexually Assaults a Patient at Timberline Knolls
A 24-year-old woman was staying at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in May 2024. A Chicago firm representing her filed a lawsuit against the facility, alleging that a male staffer repeatedly raped their client while she was seeking support for mental health concerns.
This facility is supposed to promote lasting healing and provide support for struggling women, but instead, put this patient through immense suffering. The victim, in this case, had struggled with suicidal thoughts and bipolar disorder before being admitted to Timberline Knolls.
The offender, who was meant to escort and monitor patients at the facility, exploited his position of authority and sexually assaulted the victim multiple times. Eventually, the patient confided in her roommate, who reported the incident to the treatment center staff. Eventually, the lodge director accused the victim of having sexual relations with the staff member.
In the lawsuit, residential facility sexual abuse lawyers also state that this case is not the first time Timberline Knolls has had issues with sexual abuse [2].
Human Rights Authority Investigates Numerous Complaints at Timberline Knolls
The Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission released a report of the Human Rights Authority’s investigation into multiple complaints about Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
The complaints covered numerous subjects, including meal plan failures, medication errors, physical abuse by another patient, insufficient therapeutic activities, and improperly locked bathrooms. The abuse allegation involved a patient complaining that another resident placed her in a chokehold and threw her on the floor.
In response to this complaint, a staff member claimed that the victim had made up the abuse allegation to be discharged from Timberline Knolls. A letter from the facility stated that there was no indication of the abuse occurring. However, a note was discovered that the victim had been put in a chokehold during a moment of “horseplay.”
Another complaint from this report involved the insufficient therapeutic activities for one patient. In her treatment plan, it was stated she would participate in therapeutic movement classes, such as dancing. Instead, the extent of her activities involved a coloring class, which is not considered therapeutic.
The investigation did not substantiate this complaint, though the facility was accused of violating certain practices, including failing to complete an expressive therapy consultation [3].
Understanding Your Rights
Adolescent girls and adult women who are admitted to Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center are entitled to receive quality care, be treated with dignity, and be protected from harm. As the lawsuits and complaints listed above demonstrate, this facility has failed to live up to standards on multiple occasions.
If you or a family member are a victim of abuse, negligence, or harm at Timberline Knolls, you have the right to pursue justice and compensation.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers has vast experience advocating for victims of abuse and neglect in residential treatment centers. If you suffer legal damages like lost income, medical bills, future medical expenses, emotional distress, physical pain and suffering, or loss of enjoyment of life, you can hold the at-fault party responsible with a lawsuit.
Our team is uniquely positioned to guide you through the legal process, whether you suffered from sexual abuse, medication errors, or other forms of negligence.
If you have a case against this residential and outpatient treatment center, it is essential to act quickly when taking legal action. The statute of limitations in Illinois could mean your case is invalid if you have waited too long.
Most personal injury cases must be filed within two years. For child victims, they have eight years from the date of the incident before their 22nd birthday. For adult sexual abuse, the limit is two years, while childhood sexual abuse victims face no statute of limitations.
Our legal team provides comprehensive representation for all types of abuse cases.
Secure Expert Legal Representation!
Securing qualified legal representation is the key to winning your lawsuit against Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. The team at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is ready to guide you through the legal process and pursue compensation for your suffering.
The process starts with a free consultation with an experienced attorney on our team. During this conversation, you can ask questions about your specific case or the claims process. Once you have the answers you need, we can start investigating your case, assessing the damages, and gathering evidence to support the claim.
Another benefit of working with our team is the contingency fee agreement. Rather than pay upfront legal fees, your lawyer will only receive payment if they recover a settlement on your behalf, and their payment will be extracted from the compensation package. This arrangement ensures your attorney is incentivized to work as hard as possible for victory.
Timberline Knolls is designed to support women and girls with eating disorders, depression, substance use disorders, and other mental health concerns. If the facility has failed you in this endeavor and allowed abuse, neglect, or harm to befall you, we can hold them accountable.
Call us today at 888-424-5757 or complete the online contact form to request your free case evaluation.
References: [1] CBS News, Chicago Tribune, [2] Patch, [3] Illinois GAC
All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.
