In March, I published a story about a Starfish resident charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his housemate 13 times with a kitchen knife. One month later, the victim filed a $20 million lawsuit against Starfish Recovery & Wellness in Richmond Circuit Court.
I previously reported that the accused assailant had pending assault and attempted malicious wounding charges at the time he was accepted into Starfish housing. The lawsuit raises additional allegations regarding the resident’s history, claiming Starfish admitted him despite knowing he had demonstrated violent and aggressive behavior at another recovery residence — conduct that made the stabbing “reasonably foreseeable.”
The complaint alleges negligence by Starfish as well as a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
According to the lawsuit, Starfish “failed to maintain adequate staff presence, supervision, conflict-monitoring, and resident-safety protocols, and failed to protect residents from foreseeable risks of violence.”
It further alleges that Starfish misled the public about the quality and safety of its program through “deception, false promises, false pretenses, and misrepresentations in connection with its marketing.”
As part of the case, Starfish has been served with interrogatories and document requests that could make previously unavailable information public, including:
- any disciplinary action by VARR;
- all complaints and grievances filed against Starfish; and
- all “complaints, grievances, or reports made by residents or staff concerning safety or violence.”
I’ll continue to monitor and report on this case as it progresses. Please subscribe for updates.
As always, anyone interested in sharing their experience with Richmond recovery housing is encouraged to get in touch with me.
Note: As I’ve reported over the last few years, Starfish owners Frank and Stephanie Bellanger asked that I cease all contact with them in May 2023. I have not heard from either of them as I’ve continued reporting on Starfish. As always, if they choose to respond to this story, I will promptly add their comments and publish a notification of the update.
More on Starfish Recovery & Wellness:
May 2023
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They are monsters. Why they are still operating is a joke. VARR is a joke. The state of Virginia is a joke.
At least if it goes to trial there will be a discovery. That will expose so much. They might want to settle, which is still a bad look and to the public looks like an admission of guilt
Here we go with one side of the story again. You know what’s a joke is people commenting or even believing what this journalist is saying. [False and unrelated statement redacted.] People please stop reading things and assuming them as fact. Lol you probably believe everything google tells you too!! Smh
I lived through the hell that is starfish recovery and I believe every word of this article. I was repeatedly threatened with rape in front of leadership and nothing was done to improve my safety. I had 2 attempts on my life and nothing happened to my attempted murderers. At the end of the day the only things that matter are frank and stephanies egos.
what is it that you find misleading, false, or otherwise sensational about this?
“Investigative journalism still remains one of the most important and powerful pillars of strong communities and democracies.” -Eila Park Robertson
Christa, thank you for continuing to decide greater Richmond’s sober living and recovery communities matter enough to keep this project going.