Legal Actions Highlight Mental Health Failures in Therapy Cases

A young woman's family filed a lawsuit on Wednesday alleging that she was sexually abused by a Chicago therapist for years, which pushed her to take her life at the age of 21. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Court, claims that Matthew Rounds abused Anabelle Hauter when he was a clinical psychology intern at Insight Psychological Centers and the Chicago Psychological Health & Wellness Corp. between August 2016 and October 2020.

According to the lawsuit, the abuse continued even after she stopped seeing him for therapy. Hauter was a minor during much of this period. Rounds allegedly solicited sexual acts from Hauter in exchange for money and had her introduce him to other underage girls.

At one point, he reportedly met with Hauter and other girls under 18 at a motel in Hammond, Indiana, where he paid them for sexual acts. The lawsuit also names Insight Psychological Centers and the Chicago Psychological Health & Wellness Corp. as defendants, claiming they failed to protect Hauter from Rounds, who is accused of negligence, sexual assault, and battery.

The wrongful death lawsuit seeks at least $50,000 in damages, citing harm to Hauter's mental health and the direct link to her death. Ervin Nevitt, the lawyer representing Hauter’s family, stated that the clinics failed in their duty to ensure their therapists were properly trained, supervised, and vetted.

He emphasized that Anabelle was left vulnerable under the care of someone they should have trusted, highlighting the need for accountability in mental health services.