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Wrongful death suit: Estate alleges sexual abuse by therapist
A therapist, who used to work in Chicago, is now named in a wrongful death lawsuit. It alleges that he sexually abused one of his patients, who was a minor, for several years while she was receiving mental health treatment downtown. The victim died by suicide last year. Kasey Chronis has the latest on the troubling allegations.
CHICAGO - A former Chicago therapist is named in a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges he sexually abused one of his patients, who was a minor, for several years while she was receiving mental health treatment downtown.
Anabelle Hauter died by suicide last year, and her estate alleges the abuse led to her death.
What we know:
The civil lawsuit identifies Matthew Rounds as Hauter's former therapist and claims she was just 14 years old when the alleged abuse began in 2016.
The lawsuit — filed by Hauter's estate — was amended last week to include Rounds and Chicago Psychological Health and Wellness Corp., where Rounds previously worked. The lawsuit had already named Insight Psychological Centers, another former employer of Rounds.
At the time of the alleged abuse, Insight Psychological Centers operated at 333 N. Michigan Ave., while Chicago Psychological Health and Wellness Corp. occupied space at 53 W. Jackson Blvd.
"What we're alleging is that those institutions failed to properly supervise Matthew Rounds — either they didn't have the right policies in place to properly supervise him, or they failed to actually enforce those policies," said Erv Nevitt, the family's attorney.
Rounds currently works as a therapist in Minnesota but was placed on leave after his employer learned of the lawsuit. The suit alleges that Hauter, who lived in Northwest Indiana, began therapy for major depressive disorder in 2016. That is when Nevitt says Rounds began sexually assaulting her.
"The consent piece is actually twofold in this case. One — she's a minor, so first and foremost, there's no capacity to consent to sexual relationship. But also, because she is a patient of the therapist, she also doesn't have the ability to consent to any sort of relationship," Nevitt said.
Nevitt says that, in addition to allegedly engaging in sexual acts with a minor, Rounds also blatantly violated the American Counseling Code of Ethics, which prohibits sexual relationships with any client.
The suit even claims that Rounds asked Hauter to introduce him to other minors. The court documents state: "Rounds solicited sexual acts from other girls that were under the age of 18 in exchange for money. Rounds met Anabelle and other girls that were under the age of 18 at a motel in Hammond, Indiana, and paid them for sexual acts."
"I've been in contact with the other victims and potentially witnesses in this case; they have provided me with a lot of the information that I know, because again, unfortunately in this case, my client has passed away so I can't get firsthand information from her. I've gotten additional information as well as cooperating evidence from them," Nevitt explained.
Nevitt argues that the sexual exploitation and abuse ultimately led Hauter to take her own life in July of 2024, at 21 years old.
"Unfortunately, Anabelle was not able to find a new therapist after Matthew Rounds. Her ability to trust a therapist was destroyed by the actions of Matthew Rounds, and unfortunately, she passed away by suicide," Nevitt said.
Dig deeper:
According to court documents, Hauter and Rounds' patient-therapist relationship ended in 2020, but the lawsuit states that the sexual encounters continued.
Hauter graduated from Munster High School in 2021, according to an online obituary. Up until her death, Nevitt says Hauter was studying nursing at Indiana University.
What they're saying:
In response to the allegations, a representative for Insight Psychological Centers issued the following statement to FOX 32 Chicago:
"While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, we are aware of the filings. We take these matters seriously and will respond through the legal process."
Meantime, the phone number for Chicago Psychological Health and Wellness Corp. been disconnected.
Currently, Rounds is employed as a therapist for Sagent Behavioral Health in Minnesota. Soon after FOX 32's Kasey Chronis emailed the institution about the civil lawsuit, Rounds' image and bio were removed from Sagent's website.
A spokesperson for Sagent Behavioral Health shared this statement with FOX 32:
"We just learned of this lawsuit. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, we have placed the employee on leave while we investigate. Our heartfelt condolences to the family on the loss of their daughter."
What's next:
Nevitt said it is possible that criminal charges stem from the civil lawsuit.
"It's my hope that they do, and if they do, my firm and certainly the family will do anything they can to support law enforcement with criminal charges," Nevitt said.
Currently, no criminal charges have been filed against Rounds.
FOX 32 made several attempts to reach Rounds — by email and phone — but did not receive a response.
A status hearing is scheduled for the civil case in January.
The Source: This story contains reporting from Fox 32's Kasey Chronis.