Four Winds Hospital Sex Abuse Lawsuits

On this page, our national sex abuse lawyers will look specifically at lawsuits involving the sexual abuse of patients at Four Winds Hospitals, a mental health and residential treatment facility with two locations in New York. Vulnerable patients at Four Winds have been subjected to sexual abuse and assault by staff members and other patients at the facility as a result of institutional negligence. Victims of abuse are now filing civil lawsuits against the private company that owns Four Winds.

Our firm is currently seeking and accepting new cases involving sexual abuse of patients at Four Winds Hospital. If you have a potential case, call us today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.

About Four Winds Hospitals

Four Winds Hospitals is a residential treatment facility company with 2 locations in New York: Four Winds Katonah and Four Winds Saratoga. The Katonah facility is located in Westchester County about 1 hour north of New York City. The Saratoga facility is located upstate in Saratoga Springs. Both facilities provide essentially the same services and level of care.

The Westchester facility is significantly larger, with 178 beds for inpatient care, compared to only 88 beds at Saratoga. Four Winds provides mental health care and programs for children as young as 5 years old, in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Some of the patients at Four Winds are juveniles sent for residential treatment services by the state.

Four Winds is a private, for-profit business. The origins of the current Four Winds business date back to 1978 when the Westchester location was purchased by a New York doctor named Samuel Klagsbrun. The Saratoga Springs location was added in 1986 under the “leadership” of 2 other doctors.

For-Profit Business Model

The present-day ownership structure of Four Winds is not entirely clear, except for the fact that it is still privately owned and operated as a for-profit business enterprise. Exactly who owns that business and what percentage they control is not certain.

Residential treatment facilities operated by for-profit business enterprises, such as Four Winds, have become fairly notorious for chronic neglect, often leading to sexual abuse of patients. Like other for-profit organizations, Four Winds is attempting to provide care to its patients while turning a profit. This goal is accomplished by cutting corners and pushing down operating costs.

For-profit residential treatment facilities such as Four Winds have recently been scrutinized and were the focus of a recent U.S. Senate investigation and report. That report highlighted how companies operating these facilities have chronically failed to provide appropriate care and failed to adequately protect patients (especially juvenile patients) from abuse and assault by staff. Some of the neglect detailed in the report includes:

• Understaffing: Chronic understaffing at places like Four Winds has created an environment where sexual abuse of residents is more likely because there is less oversight and supervision of both staff and patients.
• Ignoring Complaints: Reports of sexual abuse or assault by staff are often ignored or inadequately addressed. Juvenile residents’ complaints are routinely dismissed, leaving them without proper recourse or protection.
• Absence of Safety Measures: Cost-cutting measures have resulted in a lack of basic safety features, such as security cameras and staff training programs, which could mitigate risks and better protect residents. These essential protections are foregone in favor of minimizing expenses to maximize profit.

Sex Abuse Lawsuits Against Four Winds: Holding the Facility Accountable

Survivors of sexual abuse at Four Winds residential treatment centers are now stepping forward and taking legal action. These lawsuits seek to hold Four Winds accountable for its failure to protect patients from sexual abuse and assault at the hands of both staff members and fellow residents.

For years, alarming reports of abuse, neglect, and inadequate supervision have surfaced at Four Winds facilities, painting a disturbing picture of an institution that prioritizes profits over patient safety. Civil lawsuits offer survivors a path to justice, providing both financial compensation and an opportunity to force systemic change within an institution that has failed its most vulnerable residents.

Pattern of Negligence: Four Winds’ Systemic Failure to Protect Patients

While no residential treatment facility can prevent every instance of harm, Four Winds has a documented history of ignoring serious red flags and failing to implement basic safeguards that could have prevented abuse.

Lawsuits, investigative reports, and internal records uncovered in litigation indicate that Four Winds has repeatedly failed to properly screen staff before hiring, allowing unqualified, abusive, or predatory employees to have unchecked access to vulnerable patients. The facility has also failed to train and supervise staff appropriately, permitting unprofessional, unethical, and even criminal conduct to occur unchecked within its walls.

In some cases, male and female patients were not properly separated, creating situations where young girls were placed in dangerous environments without proper protections. The facility also neglected basic security measures, such as functioning locks, cameras, and adequate nighttime supervision, which allowed abusers to access victims in private settings. Worse yet, when reports of misconduct did arise, Four Winds repeatedly failed to investigate, ignoring or dismissing complaints from patients, their families, and even staff members who attempted to raise concerns.

As a result of these failures, patients—many of whom were placed at Four Winds for mental health treatment or substance abuse recovery—were subjected to horrific sexual abuse at the hands of both employees and fellow residents.

Prior Cases of Abuse at Four Winds

The negligence at Four Winds is not just theoretical—it is documented in lawsuits, criminal charges, and survivor testimony.

In 2017, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a former female patient who was sexually assaulted at Four Winds in 2015. According to the lawsuit, the patient was placed in the boys’ section of the facility, violating safety protocols. There were no locks on the doors to her room, allowing a male resident to enter her room at night and sexually assault her. Systemic failures were everywhere. The staff failed to properly monitor the facility, allowing the assault to go unnoticed and unreported. This case exemplifies gross institutional negligence, where Four Winds failed to protect a vulnerable minor from foreseeable harm—a failure that led directly to a traumatic assault.

Also in 2017, Four Winds came under fire again when one of its employees, Dominic Sbordone, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a 19-year-old female patient. Sbordone was charged with second- and third-degree sexual abuse, serious offenses that could carry substantial prison time. The incident raised major concerns about Four Winds’ hiring practices, particularly whether the facility was conducting adequate background checks before hiring staff. It also cast doubt on Four Winds’ supervision policies, as an employee could abuse a patient without being caught immediately.

Why Survivors Are Filing Civil Lawsuits

For survivors of sexual abuse at Four Winds, a civil lawsuit is one of the most powerful ways to seek justice. Unlike the criminal justice system, which focuses on punishing abusers, civil lawsuits provide compensation for survivors and hold institutions financially accountable for their failures.

By filing a lawsuit, survivors can secure financial compensation for pain and suffering, mental health treatment, medical expenses, and lost opportunities. A lawsuit also exposes the failures of Four Winds and brings long-overdue attention to institutional negligence. Survivors who take legal action play a role in preventing future abuse by forcing Four Winds to change its policies, implement stricter hiring standards, and increase security and oversight.

How is Sex Abuse Defined?

In New York, the legal definition of sexual abuse or sexual assault aligns closely with that of other states. Under state law, any unwanted and intentional sexual touching or contact can be classified as sexual abuse, particularly when it involves a person’s intimate body parts.

Sexual abuse can encompass a broad range of conduct, from unwanted groping to forcible rape. To meet the legal definition, two key elements must be present: (1) physical contact and (2) lack of consent.

• Physical Contact: Sexual abuse or assault requires actual physical touching of a sexual nature. Verbal harassment alone does not meet this threshold.
• Lack of Consent: The absence of consent is the defining factor in all cases of sexual abuse or assault. Any non-consensual sexual touching is automatically considered abuse. Additionally, minors (under 18) cannot legally consent to sexual contact, meaning any sexual act between an adult and a minor is inherently classified as sexual abuse under New York law.

Deadline for Filing Sex Abuse Lawsuits in New York

New York has some of the most survivor-friendly statute of limitations laws for civil sexual abuse lawsuits. For victims who were minors (under 18) at the time of the abuse, New York law allows them to file a civil lawsuit anytime before their 55th birthday.

For survivors who were adults (18 or older) when the abuse occurred, New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA) temporarily lifted the statute of limitations. Under the ASA, adult survivors had a one-year window to file a civil lawsuit, regardless of when the abuse happened. However, this window closed on November 23, 2023.

What Determines the Settlement Amount of a Residential Treatment Facility Sexual Abuse Case?

When it comes to lawsuits against residential treatment centers like Four Winds, several key factors drive settlement values. Unlike individual claims against an abuser, cases involving institutional liability often lead to substantial compensation—but only when the right evidence is in place.

Here’s what makes the difference in securing a meaningful recovery:

🔹 Institutional Liability – Again, if you want meaningful compensation in 98% of cases, you must establish institutional liability. Residential treatment facilities have a legal duty to protect residents, yet many fail by hiring unqualified staff, ignoring red flags, or covering up abuse. The settlement value increases significantly when institutions are complicit—whether through negligent hiring, inadequate supervision, or deliberate concealment. Strong evidence of systemic failure demands accountability and forces higher payouts.

🔹 Severity of Abuse – The nature of the abuse plays a major role in determining settlement amounts. While any form of abuse is horrific, more egregious acts—such as forcible rape, prolonged abuse, or abuse involving multiple victims—typically lead to higher compensation. Jurors are human beings who recognize that extreme cases inflict lifelong physical and emotional trauma that requires significant financial relief.

🔹 Strength of Evidence – Your case is only as strong as the evidence supporting it. Institutions fight aggressively to protect themselves, but hard evidence—such as witness testimonies, medical records, internal complaints, or leaked documents—makes it nearly impossible for them to escape liability. The more damning the evidence, the higher the settlement value.

🔹 Impact on the Victim – Sexual abuse leaves lasting scars, and the long-term impact is a key factor in determining damages. PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and other mental health struggles all contribute to a higher settlement. Courts recognize the need for financial relief to help survivors recover and rebuild their lives.

🔹 Age of the Victim – The younger the victim, the more devastating the effects of abuse. Cases involving minors—especially young children—often result in higher settlements due to the severe developmental and psychological impact that abuse can have over a lifetime.

🔹 The Lawyer You Hire – Never underestimate the power of legal strategy and experience in maximizing compensation. Law firms that focus on institutional abuse cases know how to uncover hidden records, build compelling arguments, and pressure institutions into higher settlements. The difference between an average lawyer and a top-tier plaintiffs’ firm can be millions of dollars in compensation.

Contact Us About Four Winds Sex Abuse Lawsuits

If you are considering legal action, do not wait. Lawsuits have deadlines, and evidence is easier to collect the sooner you act. A free, confidential consultation with an attorney can help you understand your rights, your options, and the potential value of your case.

No survivor should suffer in silence—and Four Winds must be held accountable.

Our lawyers are working with victims involving the sexual abuse of residents at Four Winds Hospital. Contact us online or call us at 800-553-8082.