Asheville Academy: Two Former Patients File Federal Suit for Abuses Suffered in Mental Health Program

September 2, 2025

Two teenagers who attended Asheville Academy for Girls have filed a lawsuit alleging they suffered abuse and neglect at the now-shuttered therapeutic boarding school and residential treatment center in Weaverville.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 20 in U.S. District Court in North Carolina, accuses the program and its owner, Oregon-based Family Help & Wellness, of violating the teens’ civil rights and entering into a conspiracy to cover up a report of sexual exploitation. It also accuses Family Help & Wellness of rebranding the program to allegedly avoid accountability.

According to the lawsuit, the program rebranded from Solstice East to Magnolia Mill School to Asheville Academy for Girls while the two teens were enrolled in the program in 2023-24.

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