Key Takeaways
- A woman has filed a lawsuit against Summit BHC Meadville, LLC, doing business as French Creek Recovery Center, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a facility driver while being transported to the Pennsylvania inpatient treatment center.
- The complaint alleges another female patient also reported being sexually assaulted by the same driver during a similar transport.
- The lawsuit asserts claims of negligence, gross negligence, carelessness, and recklessness against French Creek Recovery Center.
A woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Summit BHC Meadville, LLC, doing business as French Creek Recovery Center, alleging she was sexually assaulted by an employee while being transported to the inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility located at 535 Williamson Road, Meadville, Pennsylvania.
The lawsuit, filed September 14, 2026, in the court of Common Pleas of Erie County, Pennsylvania, alleges that an individual was employed by French Creek as a driver responsible for transporting patients and clients to and from French Creek Recovery center.
According to the complaint, on June 23, 2025, the woman had just been discharged from an inpatient psychiatric facility at Niagara Falls Psychiatric Center when she was placed alone with the driver in a facility van for the approximately two-and-a-half-hour drive from Niagara Falls, New York, to Meadville.
Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Assault During Transport to French Creek Recovery Center
According to the lawsuit, almost immediately after leaving the psychiatric hospital, the driver began making unwanted sexual comments about the woman’s appearance and demanded that she remove her clothing. He also allegedly sent her sexually explicit text messages directing her to take her clothes off.
During a stop at a Starbucks, the driver allegedly told the woman he had parked far away from the entrance so he could watch her body as she walked. The complaint further alleges that he kissed her without her consent while she was a captive passenger.
He later allegedly drove the French Creek van to a Walmart in Summit Township, Erie County, PA, and parked in a secluded area far from the store. The woman alleges that, after she had refused his sexual advances multiple times, he sexually assaulted her inside the van.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff submitted to the abuse only to “get it over with” because she did not want to anger the man on whom she depended for safe transportation to inpatient treatment.
The complaint alleges that she was acutely vulnerable because she had just been discharged from psychiatric hospitalization, was alone with the driver, with no realistic ability to leave the vehicle or protect herself.
Complaint Alleges Another Patient Reported Sexual Assault by the Same Driver
The lawsuit alleges the plaintiff in this case was not the only French Creek Recovery Center patient assaulted by this specific driver.
According to the complaint, a second female patient reported that the same driver had sexually assaulted her during a similar transport within days of the plaintiff’s alleged assault. The complaint also references a Pennsylvania State Police investigation and alleges that, as reflected in the State Police’s investigation, Calvert used his employment with French Creek to take advantage of the facility’s clients.
Lawsuit Accuses French Creek Recovery of Negligence
The lawsuit seeks to hold French Creek Recovery Center responsible for its alleged failure to protect the patient entrusted to its care.
According to the complaint, the driver was acting as a French Creek employee, driving a facility vehicle on an assigned transport route when the alleged assault occurred.
The lawsuit alleges French Creek knew or should have known of the driver’s propensity to engage in sexually inappropriate conduct with patients of French Creek, but, despite that knowledge, permitted him to continue transporting vulnerable patients alone.
Among other allegations, the lawsuit accuses French Creek of failing to adequately screen, train, monitor, and supervise the driver, failing to recognize red flags, and failing to establish adequate policies to prevent sexual abuse.
The complaint also alleges that the CEO of French Creek was shown sexually explicit text messages the driver allegedly sent to the woman, acknowledged that such communications were inappropriate., and said “they would look into the matter.”
According to the lawsuit, the driver’s alleged conduct also violated a facility policy restricting employee contact with facility residents for at least two years after their residency.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that French Creek’s transport van was equipped with interior cameras that recorded everything inside the vehicle, but footage from the date of the alleged assault was allowed to be overwritten before it could be preserved as evidence.
According to French Creek Recovery’s website, the center voluntarily closed as of March 15, 2026.
Treatment Centers Have a Responsibility to Protect Patients
When allegations of sexual abuse in an addiction treatment facility arise, a civil case can examine whether the facility took reasonable steps to protect patients who were entrusted to its care, including whether it adequately screened and supervised employees, maintained policies to protect patients, and responded appropriately to complaints or warning signs.
Civil litigation is separate from criminal prosecution and can provide survivors with a way to seek accountability from the institutions whose inaction or failures may have contributed to their harm.
Through the civil justice system, survivors may be able to pursue answers, accountability, and compensation for the harm they have suffered. Civil lawsuits can also lead to institutional changes aimed at better protecting others from similar harm in the future.
Andreozzi + Foote Represents Plaintiff in French Creek Recovery Center Lawsuit
Andreozzi + Foote attorneys Veronica Hubbard and Amy Mathieu represents the plaintiff in the lawsuit against Summit BHC Meadville, LLC, doing business as French Creek Recovery Center.
If you experienced sexual abuse at French Creek Recovery Center or at another addiction treatment center, you are not alone.
Reach out to Andreozzi + Foote to learn more about your legal rights and options. Our attorneys represent survivors of institutional sexual abuse and can help you understand whether you may have a civil claim. We are trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and committed to helping individuals understand their rights and choose the path that feels the most empowering to them.
Your voice deserves to be heard, and our attorneys are ready to listen.
All consultations are free and completely confidential.
Contact us today.
Image sources: French Creek Recovery Center, via recovery.com. French Creek Recovery Center logo, via frenchcreekrecovery.com.
