SPRINGVILLE — Paris Hilton returned to Provo Canyon School in Springville, attending a press conference at the facility. She supported two families who are filing lawsuits that allege mistreatment of their children.

Hilton, who spent nearly a year at the school in the late 1990s, raised both of her middle fingers toward the campus upon her arrival. The media personality has previously alleged facility staff beat her, watched her shower, administered unknown pills, placed her in solitary confinement without clothing, physically restrained her, and sexually abused her.

"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," Hilton said. "Today is that day, and I am not backing down." She also warned that parents can be misled by marketing campaigns portraying residential teen facilities as safe. "These places really just prey on parents who are just looking for help for their children."

One lawsuit filed on Monday alleges a 13-year-old boy sustained a fractured jaw and traumatic brain injury after another resident slammed his head on the ground. Lawsuit documents allege that after the incident, staff transported the injured boy to a hospital in a private vehicle instead of contacting emergency services. "No one bothered to call the ambulance, no one bothered to tell me where he was at," said Aleah Corona, the boy's mother. "No one called the police, as if my son's life was of absolutely no value to them." Utah State Senator Jen Plumb contacted police regarding this case while working in an emergency department.

A second legal notice alleges a teenage girl experienced severe stomach pain and nausea for over a week before the facility sought medical attention, which reportedly resulted in kidney failure. Attorney Alan Mortensen stated the diagnosed girl requires dialysis three times per week for life. "If you do things like what happened to that kid, I'm sorry, you don't deserve a license," Senator Plumb said. "You don't deserve to have children in your care, and I'm not going to be soft and kind about it."

Provo Canyon School currently operates under new ownership. School administrators stated they cannot comment on incidents that occurred prior to the ownership change. The school declined to comment on specific student cases, citing patient privacy laws. "When I spoke out, Provo Canyon said my experience happened under prior ownership and that they were committed to the safety of their patients and staff under their leadership, but records show otherwise and children are still paying the price," Hilton said. "After hearing these families' stories, we have to act."

The Utah Department of Health imposed temporary restrictions on Provo Canyon School's license in May after staff failed to seek immediate medical care for an injured student. These license restrictions prohibit the facility from accepting new clients and expire on a Thursday. Hilton's advocacy has contributed to the passage of legislation to protect teens in Utah and 15 other states. She has testified about her experiences at the facility before Congress and state legislatures across the U.S.