Lawsuits against Sun Behavioral Health include a wrongful death case in Kentucky over a patient who died after being restrained, a medical malpractice case in Delaware, two federal employment cases in Texas and Ohio, and a workers’ compensation appeal in Delaware. The Kentucky case is the most serious and remains the highest-profile litigation against the privately held, private equity-backed psychiatric hospital operator based in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Kentucky Wrongful Death Case: Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson, a 48-year-old Fort Thomas, Kentucky, resident, died in November 2021 during an 18-hour stay at Sun Behavioral Health’s 197-bed facility on Dolwick Drive in Erlanger. According to the family’s lawsuit, Wilson had been admitted for a mental health episode. Around 7:15 p.m., after being told sleep medication was unavailable, he became agitated and walked out of the building.1PsychCrime. Sun Behavioral Health Patient Death
Staff followed him outside. The amended complaint alleges that nearly a dozen employees pinned Wilson to the ground in a prone position for more than four minutes. He went limp, was rolled over, and was found with no pulse and no breathing. Paramedics were called at 7:36 p.m. and could not revive him.1PsychCrime. Sun Behavioral Health Patient Death
The lawsuit further alleges that staff injected Wilson with a combination of haloperidol, lorazepam, and diphenhydramine despite knowing he was partially allergic to those drugs, and that the hospital initially told the family Wilson had collapsed after the injection, concealing the restraint. The complaint says staff “breached the duty of ordinary care” by using a prone hold the family describes as potentially fatal, and accuses the facility of failing to train and supervise employees on patient restraint.1PsychCrime. Sun Behavioral Health Patient Death
The family filed the amended complaint on March 11, 2022, in Kenton County, Kentucky.2Cincinnati Enquirer. Fort Thomas Man Died After Being Restrained at Sun Behavioral Health No official coroner’s ruling on the cause of death, no criminal investigation, and no settlement or verdict have been publicly reported.
Delaware Medical Malpractice Case: Clancy v. Sun Behavioral Delaware
In September 2023, Suzanne Clancy filed a medical malpractice suit against Sun Behavioral Delaware, LLC and Sun Behavioral Health, Inc. in Delaware Superior Court. The underlying allegations were filed under seal, but the docket shows extensive discovery through 2024 and 2025, including depositions of medical staff and expert witnesses. Sun Behavioral filed a motion for summary judgment in June 2025.3Delaware Superior Court. Clancy v. Sun Behavioral Delaware, N23C-09-018
Before that motion was resolved, the parties filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice on December 11, 2025, and Judge Charles E. Butler entered the dismissal the following day.3Delaware Superior Court. Clancy v. Sun Behavioral Delaware, N23C-09-018 A dismissal with prejudice following a stipulation between the parties often signals a settlement, though no financial terms were disclosed.
Federal Employment Lawsuits
Two federal employment cases have named Sun Behavioral Health as a defendant.
In February 2019, a plaintiff named Broussard sued Sun Behavioral Health in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The court classified the case under “civil rights jobs,” indicating an employment discrimination or workplace civil rights claim. After an amended complaint and discovery, the parties reached a stipulation of dismissal and the case was terminated in May 2020.4CourtListener. Broussard v. Sun Behavioral Health, 4:19-cv-00618 The underlying allegations and any financial resolution were not publicly available on the docket.
In June 2024, Rhonda Jennings filed a collective action against Sun Behavioral Health, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The case is a labor standards dispute brought under 29 U.S.C. § 216(b), the enforcement provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which typically covers claims for unpaid wages or overtime. Multiple individuals filed notices to join the collective action in the months after the initial filing. The case was assigned to Judge Sarah D. Morrison and remained open as of the most recent available docket information.5UniCourt. Jennings v. SUN Behavioral Health Inc., 2:24-cv-03358
Delaware Workers’ Compensation Appeal
A separate proceeding, McDaniel-Wesche v. Sun Behavioral Health, involved a former employee seeking workers’ compensation benefits for a neck injury and requesting PRP injections. The Delaware Industrial Accident Board found only a limited neck injury with no permanent impairment, citing a gap in treatment and the claimant’s failure to disclose an intervening car accident to her treating physician.6Delaware Detour & Frolic. McDaniel-Wesche v. Sun Behavioral Health, S23A-03-002 CAK
The claimant appealed to Delaware Superior Court. In a March 2024 ruling, the court affirmed the Board on all grounds, holding that the Board was entitled to discount the claimant’s testimony given her lack of candor.6Delaware Detour & Frolic. McDaniel-Wesche v. Sun Behavioral Health, S23A-03-002 CAK
Who Sun Behavioral Health Is
Sun Behavioral Health was founded in 2013 by Steve Page, who serves as president and CEO.7SUN Behavioral Health. Steve Page Journey The company is backed by private equity investors including LLR Partners, HealthInvest, NewSpring Capital, Petra Capital Partners, and SV Health Investors, and has raised roughly $154 million in total funding.8PitchBook. SUN Behavioral Health Company Profile It operates freestanding psychiatric hospitals in Kentucky, Ohio, Delaware, and Texas, and community-based behavioral health programs across several southeastern states following a May 2025 acquisition of Seaside Healthcare’s community services division.9LLR Partners. Sun Behavioral Health Acquires Seaside’s Community Agencies Page has said the company employs roughly 3,000 people.