Fourth Patient Files Lawsuit About 'False Memories' of Sexual Abuse

A former patient of the Castlewood Treatment Center in Ballwin is filing a lawsuit that alleges the therapy she received at the center gave her false memories of sexual abuse, according to a Monday report from KMOX-TV. She is the fourth patient to surface these type of allegations, stemming from her interactions with the center during 2010.

See previous articles:

New Plaintiff Joins Suit Against Castlewood Clinic in Ballwin

Third Woman Sues Ballwin Treatment Center for “Implanting False Memories"

The woman’s attorney, Ken Vuylsteke, told KMOX the patient spent several months at Castlewood for an eating disorder when she was in her late 30s.

The attorney told KMOX his client was subjected to hypnosis and psychotropic drugs. He also said she was made to believe she had suffered physical and sexual abuse by a relative, and had "suffered multiple rapes by a family member."

These alleged instances are all memories Vuylsteke said his client did not have before she attended sessions at Castlewood.

Castlewood's website suggests recent lawsuits about this matter are copycats. Castlewood calls the allegations in the original lawsuit “false, absurd and bizarre.”

The site provides a response from the center dated July 19, 2012:

Whenever there is a lawsuit with publicity, others want to jump on the bandwagon. Castlewood is known nationally and internationally for specializing in the treatment of anorexia and bulimia. In addition, it is one of the few facilities that also specializes in eating disorders with post-traumatic stress disorder often caused by sexual abuse. The Castlewood staff are leading experts in the field and lecture throughout the country to literally hundreds of thousands of professionals. When clients go from one treatment center to the next without getting better, they often are referred to Castlewood, even from other treatment centers. Of the thousands of clients treated, most are extremely grateful but there will be a few who are angry and need someone to blame—and there will always be lawyers waiting. We will defend the case vigorously and let justice prevail."