CINCINNATI, Ohio - A federal appeals court has partially overturned a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit filed by an Austintown addiction treatment facility and its owner against the United States government.

The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last week that a portion of the case involving California Palms Addiction Recovery Campus, Inc., and owner Sebastian Rucci is still active, even though the government returned money it had seized.

Although the facility shut down its Route 46 location in 2021 following a search by federal and state agents, Rucci is still asking the government to release the sworn statements, known as affidavits, that agents used to get warrants to seize the funds.

In 2021, federal law enforcement seized more than $600,000 from California Palms as part

See Full Page