Lawsuit #7 - Jane Doe Vs. Alsana Castlewood, Riverside Co, Brittany Gibbs and John Does 1-10

Updated: Feb 24, 2022

As hard as this is to read, it is business as usual for Alsana Castlewood Treatment Centers

Click .pdf file to read the entire lawsuit

Introduction

“I reflected and realized I hurt others on purpose because it makes me feel good.” ...

“There’s a darkness in me ...”

“I participated in the toxic behaviors I didn’t know any better, and sometimes I knew better but did not care.”

“But, some days I hate myself, and I cause hell in other people’s lives.”

- Defendant, Brittney Gibbs, therapist employed by Riverside and Castlewood

Excerpts:

This is an action for substantial and irreparable physical, emotional, and psychological harm that Defendant Gibbs – and her employer, Defendants Riverside and Case: 4:22-cv-00117-CDP Doc. #: 1 Filed: 01/31/22 Page: 1 of 37 PageID #: 1 PLAINTIFF’S ORIGINAL COMPLAINT -- Page 2 Castlewood - perpetrated on Plaintiff Jane Doe1, during the course of what was to have been life-saving treatment for an eating disorder. It is predicated on theories of negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, professional and common law negligence, civil conspiracy, fraud by non-disclosure, violation of the Corporate Practice of Medicine Doctrine, and principles of respondeat superior.

Gibbs’ articles included the following statements:

"Fuck love. Love hurts. Get a hobby."

"I reflected and realized I hurt others on purpose because it makes me feel good." ...

"There's a darkness in me ..."

"I can be toxic to the people I love."

"I participated in the toxic behaviors I didn't know any better, and sometimes I knew better but did not care."

"But, some days I hate myself, and I cause hell in other people's lives."

"One day I won’t say things to people strictly to hurt them."

“I became strong built from rage, and hate.” “My mother hates me.”

“The relationship with my mom now … Well she lives four houses down, and cant [sic.] look at me passing by. “I have one sibling out of 4 that [sic.] communicate [sic.] with me. Yes, that’s her manipulation.”

“My mom looks at me with such hatred I start to look at myself with the same view.”

“I didn’t receive a call from my mother apologizing, or asking how I’m doing. She strictly cut me from her life as if I was the umbilical cord.” “That my lady is savage, and I commend you because you won this game of cruelty mom.

Indeed, Gibbs is simply one of the latest chapters in what has been the sordid and harm-inducing history of Castlewood. This history that has included, but is not limited to:

A series of lawsuits brought by Lisa Nasseff and others against Castlewood and its founder, Schwartz accusing Schwartz of implanting false memories of sexual abuse, satanic cult activity, brainwashing and hypnosis that ultimately led to the resignations of Schwartz and Galperin.
Accusations of Castlewood having violated the Americans with Disabilities Act brought by a woman who had a serious eating disorder, who allegedly was promised, but ultimately denied admission because she was HIV+ - claims that were successfully prosecuted by the United States Justice Department.
The Missouri Committee of Psychologists 2017 censure of Schwartz after a patient complained in 2013 about a lack of supervision at Castlewood, the investigation into which revealed that while Schwartz and Galperin were directors at the Masters and Johnson Trauma units at Two Rivers Psychiatric Hospital in Kansas City and also at River Oaks Hospital in New Orleans, lawsuits were filed against these hospitals for implanting memories of multiple personality and satanic ritual abuse
Castlewood’s hiring in April 2013 of Nicole Siegfried, who, for at least the nine (9) months prior to her being hired, had been investigated by the Alabama Board of Examiners in Psychology and placed on probation and practice supervision for one year for ... "failure to document professional work and maintain records and engaging in a multiple relationship, patient harm and exploitive relationship;”
Accusations by a current Castlewood employee in July 2021, that: “Leadership is very inexperienced. Due to high turnorver [sic.] and dificulty [sic.] with finding qualified applicants in the surrounding area, there have been quite a few internal transitions that are not effective. Newly licensed individuals can/have become part of leadership or promoted within leadership without leadership experience! Those with lesser experience do not feel confident in receiving feedback from those who, frankly. barely know what they are doing themselves. There is a push toward only one or two modalities of treatment (IFS and attachment theory), with little insight or training to other effective modalities. There is also very little understanding of the impact of comorbid or co-occuring diagnosis on eating disorders, thereby lessining [sic.] the effectiveness of the treatment;
Blatant misrepresentations regarding its treatment protocol and the efficacy of the treatment afforded, specifically that its treatment regimens are “evidenced-based”, when, in truth, they are anything but;
In January 2021, being sued for violating HIPAA laws;
Creating and fostering a racially hostile environment in which AfricanAmerican patients are denigrated.

Civil Conspiracy:

Riverside and Castlewood knowingly conspired to utilize the fictitious name “Alsana” as an instrument to attempt to distance themselves from Castlewood’s past, pervasive wrongdoings and to engage in acts designed to emphasize profiteering over providing competent medical and mental health treatment. The purpose of the conspiracy was to induce people suffering from eating disorders and their families to utilize the facilities owned and operating by Riverside and Castlewood.

This scheme or artifice to defraud Plaintiff and others included deleting all reference to Alsana’s true owner and identity, that being Castlewood Treatment Center LLC on the internet. As such, Riverside and Castlewood are falsely representing that Alsana has been in operations since at least 2002, falsely representing the efficacy of the treatment protocol utilized by Castlewood, representing that the properties owned and/or operated by Castlewood and Riverside were safe and free from predators and are making materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or representations in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits.