In a growing crackdown on abuses in the addiction treatment industry, Huntington Beach and the Orange County District Attorney’s office are employing a novel legal approach in suing five sober living homes.
The suits, filed this month in Orange County Superior Court, contend that each residence is operating as a substance abuse recovery or treatment facility without a license. The suits charge the homes with creating public nuisances, as well as with unfair competition.
“This is the first wave of the lawsuits of this kind, and it’s novel because, historically, cities have only had nuisance causes of action,” said Michael Gates, Huntington Beach’s city attorney.
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