Paris Hilton returns to Provo Canyon School decades after alleged teen abuse
Hilton says she was abused, medicated and placed in solitary confinement as a teen
- Paris Hilton returned to Provo Canyon School on 15 June 2025
- Two families have filed lawsuits alleging severe abuse of their children
- Hilton says she was abused, forcibly medicated, and confined as a teenager
Paris Hilton returned to Utah's Provo Canyon School on Sunday to stand alongside two families who have filed lawsuits alleging their children were seriously mistreated at the residential treatment facility.
Hilton returns to scene of alleged abuse
The media personality and entrepreneur spent nearly a year at the centre in the late 1990s and has since become one of the most prominent voices calling for reform of the troubled teen industry. She has previously alleged that staff members beat her, watched her shower, administered unknown medications, and placed her in solitary confinement during her time there.
Speaking at the facility on Monday, Hilton addressed the weight of the moment directly. "I dreamed of becoming strong enough, successful enough and powerful enough to come back and be the hero that I needed when I was a little girl locked inside," she said. "Today is that day, and I am not backing down."
What the lawsuits allege
The two legal cases paint a disturbing picture of conditions inside the school. One lawsuit alleges that a 13-year-old boy suffered a fractured jaw and traumatic brain injury after another resident slammed his head into the ground. A second lawsuit claims a girl experienced kidney failure after staff allegedly failed to respond appropriately to her severe stomach pain and nausea.
Hilton's own account of abuse
Hilton has been vocal about her own experiences at the facility for several years. "When I was 16 years old, I was ripped from my bed in the middle of the night and transported across state lines to the first of four youth residential treatment facilities," she previously stated.
"I was force-fed medications and sexually abused by the staff. I was violently restrained and dragged down hallways, stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement," she added.