Paris Hilton's abuse allegations lead Utah's Provo Canyon School to lose its licence after decades of complaints
The Provo Canyon School in Springville, Utah, had its licence revoked by state health authorities after years of abuse allegations, including from Paris Hilton, who said she was forcibly medicated and sexually abused there as a teenager.
Licence revoked
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services revoked the licence of the Provo Canyon School in Springville on 8 July 2026, citing violations and failures including inadequate medical care for students. The private residential facility for troubled teenagers had faced lawsuits from parents, ABC News reported. The closure follows a years-long campaign by former student Paris Hilton, who publicly detailed abuse she suffered there in the late 1990s.
Hilton's campaign
Hilton, now 45, first spoke about her experiences in the 2020 documentary "This is Paris". She later testified before Congress in Washington in 2024, calling for tighter oversight of youth residential programmes. "These programmes promised healing, growth and support," she told lawmakers. Instead, she said, she was denied the ability to speak or move freely for two years, forcibly medicated and sexually abused by staff. Her parents, she added, were deceived by the operators of what she described as a "profit-driven industry".
More than fifty years, children have brought forward stories of abuse, neglect and trauma. I was one of those children. The little girl in me, who was told she would never be believed, feels so validated today.
Reaction
On Instagram, Hilton wrote that she had "fought and prayed" for the school's closure and thanked survivors who had spoken out "bravely" over the years. "Finally the children are being taken out of there," she said, calling the licence revocation "a strong step to protect future generations". The decision ends operations at a facility that had been the target of abuse allegations spanning more than five decades.
