A California man is suing a Scientology-based clinic that he said caused him to suffer "severe personal injuries," Court House News reports.
William Sweeney alleges that Pur Detox, Inc., a "Scientology-affiliated facility," took him off his prescribed medicines in a "quick taper," leading him to attempt suicide. Sweeney had checked in to the detox clinic for drug and alcohol problems.
Sweeney claims he was quickly weaned off his medications, including an anti-opiate and an anti-psychotic, and was often left unsupervised, according to the complaint. His doctor, Allan Sosin, allegedly saw him only once and never asked if he was suffering from withdrawal.
The complaint reads:
On or about December 11, 2011, during the 'quick taper' period, Pur Detox staff members took plaintiff to the third floor of the residence. Plaintiff was led out onto a third floor balcony and told to do certain 'visualization' exercises. After the exercise on the balcony plaintiff returned downstairs, where he was left alone.
Instead of monitoring an observing plaintiff, the staff member assigned to him went to sleep on another level of the residence. At approximately 6:00 p.m. plaintiff returned to the unsecured third-floor, went out onto the unsecured balcony through an unlocked and unalarmed sliding door, and attempted suicide by jumping off the balcony.
Sweeney, who said the fall resulted in multiple fractures and a four-week stay in the hospital, is suing the clinic for "negligence, medical malpractice and negligent supervision."
This is not the first time that a clinic affiliated with the Church of Scientology has come under fire for questionable practices.
Last month, NBC News reported that Narconon Arrowhead, a rehab center in Oklahoma with ties to the controversial church, was under investigation after the death of three patients. All three had died within the course of a year.
The most recent patient death was that of 20-year-old Stacy Murphy, who died on July 19 under "mysterious circumstances" after a detox regiment based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's 1950 book "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health."
Stacy’s father, Robert Murphy, told NBC News that he “absolutely” blames the clinic for her death.
Critics of Scientology have long lambasted the group for discouraging adherents from seeking medical help or taking medication for problems they call "psychosomatic," including mental health issues and physical disorders like arthritis and kidney disease.
In 2009, the Church of Scientology's controversial doctrine on medicine made headlines when John Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett died after experiencing a seizure.
During hearings, Travolta -- who once called the Narconon Arrowhead clinic "the best" -- admitted that his son had been autistic.
A Travolta family lawyer said that the teen had been taking Depakote, an anti-seizure medication, but had stopped taking it because of liver damage. Liver damage from Depakote is said to be rare, Gawker notes.
Watch the NBC report on the three deaths at Narconon Arrowhead here: