WESTLAND, Mich. – A mother just filed a $100 million lawsuit over the beating of her 10-year-old child when he was a resident at the Hawthorn Center in Northville.
The psychiatric hospital gained national attention in 2022 when it held an unannounced active shooter drill in the facility. Patients and most of the staff were not informed ahead of time. Four law enforcement agencies who responded to panicked 911 calls from inside the hospital weren’t notified of the drill, either and responded as if the threat was real.
Soon afterward, the children were moved to the Walter P. Reuther Hospital in Westland. That’s where the mother said her child was beaten this last autumn.
At the center of the lawsuit is a three-minute video. The child getting beaten -- Princeton Vaughn -- was admitted to the Hawthorn Center for mental and emotional issues.
The family’s attorney, Arnold Reed, said the attack occurred on Oct. 18, 2023. He said the video shows five staff members encouraging a 15-year-old resident to beat the 9-year-old.
Reed credits the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for doing a thorough investigation, but questions why authorities have not made any arrests and continues to allow the facility to operate.
The attack happened inside the Walter Reuther Psychiatric Facility. The children from the Hawthorn Center are currently being held here as their hospital was torn down and is being rebuilt in Northville.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released the following statement:
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services takes the health and safety of our patients very seriously. An investigation involving an incident on Oct. 18, 2023, was completed by the State Hospital Administration and Office of Recipient Rights. As a result, one employee was dismissed, one resigned before they could be dismissed, and another was suspended.
A state lawmaker recently toured the Walter Reuther Psychiatric Facility and has concerns.
Read: Lawmaker raises concerns with Hawthorn Center, Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital