SEATTLE, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A Whatcom County court today determined the
Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) must pay
$8 million to two girls it placed in
a foster home that the state knew housed a known child molester,
leading to years of abuse.
According to the complaint filed, DSHS placed the girls, ages 6
and 3, into a foster home without properly interviewing and
screening the residents' background. A simple search of the
agency's own database would have revealed that one of the children
in the family was accused of sexually assaulting a five-year-old
cousin, the suit stated.
The two young girls were subsequently sexually, emotionally and
physically abused for many years by two brothers living within the
foster home.
"This was an unimaginable misstep by the agency whose sole
purpose is to safeguard children," said Raymond Dearie, the attorney for the girls.
"Because of the agency's gaping oversight, two innocent little
girls were led into a horrible environment of depravity and
violence, and their lives will never be the same."
According to Dearie, DSHS was aware as early as August 2001 that allegations of sexual misconduct
were leveled against one of the brothers in the family.
On November 13, 2015, Judge
Ira Uhrig granted the plaintiffs'
motion for partial summary judgement on liability. The trial, and
today's jury verdict, were limited exclusively to the issue of
damages.
"We were extraordinarily reluctant to put the girls through the
emotional tumult of a trial, and fought to try to convince the
state to settle the liability aspect of the case," Dearie said.
"The sad reality is that the state showed little interest in
finding a negotiated settlement fully cognizant of the impact on
the girls."
Dearie added that the girls dealt with emotional strains of the
trial well. "The girls have fought this battle with grace and
courage that is nothing short of inspirational."
On September 30, 2014 the youngest
brother of the family pled guilty to three counts of felony child
molestation and was sentenced to serve 66 months in prison. The
other abusing brother has also been charged with felony sexual
abuse and evaded law enforcement for more than two years, the claim
states. This brother is currently incarcerated in the Whatcom County jail awaiting trial, which is
scheduled for later this month.
"We know that no amount of money will restore the permanent and
painful injuries and loss of enjoyment of life, but we are
optimistic the jury's verdict will open the possibility that those
injured by DSHS's negligence can start a path to recovery," Dearie
said. "We hope this verdict will force DSHS to put its house in
order so others don't suffer the same horrors as these girls."
During her testimony, the oldest victim, now 19, testified that
she was motivated to file this lawsuit because "it wouldn't be fair
for any other kids to go through what we went through."
About Dearie Law Group
Raymond
J. Dearie is known for his fierce determination to fight and
win justice for his clients. Ray is a tough, experienced injury
attorney and trial lawyer, with a wide range of clients. He has
championed the rights of individuals, small businesses and Fortune
500 companies, winning jury verdicts and multi-million dollar
settlements.
CONTACTS:
Raymond
Dearie 206-239-9920
Dearie Law Group, P.S.
rdearie@dearielawgroup.com
Katharine Kemp 919-244-6803
Firmani + Associates Inc.
Katharine@firmani.com
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SOURCE Dearie Law Group