BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A lawsuit filed in Jefferson County alleges a residential treatment facility for children with autism failed to protect a teenager in its care from both physical and sexual abuse and failed to report the alleged abuse as required by law.
According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed against Glenwood Residential Facility, a provider that serves children with autism and other developmental and behavioral disabilities. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 17-year-old boy with autism who lived at the facility in 2025. The child is identified only by initials to protect his privacy.
The lawsuit alleges Glenwood failed to protect the teen from serious abuse while in its care and did not report the alleged incidents to authorities, despite mandatory reporting requirements.
“His mom admitted him to this place because he can’t care for himself,” said attorney Tommy James of Tommy James Law, who represents the family. “She totally trusted Glenwood to be a safe and caring place, and instead of being a safe and caring place, it ended up being a house of horror for him.”
According to court documents, the teen was allegedly physically assaulted by a staff member while living at the facility. The lawsuit claims the teen was slammed against a wall and then to the ground, suffering a broken collarbone.
“He was slammed against the wall and then slammed on the ground, and they didn’t report it,” James said.
James said the boy’s mother allegedly did not learn about the injury until a doctor’s appointment days later.
“My client had a broken collarbone for days,” James said. “The doctor said that this was so violent that it was akin to him being in a motorcycle wreck accident.”
Doctors allegedly determined the injury was caused by high-impact force inconsistent with an accident or appropriate therapeutic restraint, and the injury reportedly required surgical repair.
James said Glenwood did not report the alleged physical abuse to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, as required by law.
“They did not report it to DHR as they’re required to do under the law,” James said. “They chose to remain silent.”
According to court documents, months later the teen was allegedly sexually abused by a different staff member. James said that alleged abuse was also not reported at the time.
“Later we found out that he was sexually abused by staff at Glenwood, and that wasn’t reported either,” James said.
Attorneys allege the facility attempted to downplay the earlier incident by characterizing it as an accident.
“They’re trying to claim there was an accident or bad restraint or something like that,” James said. “This is not true.”
In a statement, Glenwood denied the allegations.
“First and foremost, we’re very sensitive to the intense emotional nature of the allegations made in this case, and I want to emphasize that Glenwood has no interest in trying to litigate this case in the media.
But I do want to say that we will vigorously defend Glenwood with respect to the allegations that have been made against it. We do not believe that Glenwood was at fault, and we do not believe that the allegations made against Glenwood are supported by the facts, medical evidence and/or applicable laws.
We are proud of our more than 50-year record of enabling individuals with behavioral health needs to live their lives to their fullest potential. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the people we care for and helping those in need. That will never change.”
James said the lawsuit is intended to hold the facility accountable and prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We want truth, accountability, and meaningful change,” James said. “More importantly, our client doesn’t want this to happen to another child.”
The case has been reported to both the Birmingham Police Department and the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Both agencies confirm investigations are ongoing.