Home / Crime and Justice / State Pays $80M for Child Welfare Failures
State Pays $80M for Child Welfare Failures
10 Jun
Summary
- Washington state settled lawsuits for nearly $80 million.
- Two adopted children suffered severe injuries in state's care.
- Settlements are largest pretrial payouts against the state.
Washington state has agreed to pay nearly $80 million in settlements for two separate lawsuits filed on behalf of adopted children who sustained grave injuries while in the care of the state's child-welfare agency. The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) faced allegations of negligence and failing to protect a boy and a girl in separate incidents.
The combined settlements, totaling $45 million for one child and $34 million for the other, are the largest and second-largest pretrial settlements of tort claims against the state. These payouts are unprecedented and aim to provide for the lifelong care of the children, Leo "Bubby" Strode and Matilda Strode.
In one case, a 9-month-old boy was severely burned in a shed fire in 2020 after DCYF allegedly ignored his parents' drug use and criminal history. In another case, a 1-month-old girl nearly suffocated in 2022 due to co-sleeping with parents whose parental rights had been previously terminated by DCYF due to neglect and drug use.
The children were later adopted by Sarah and David Strode. These settlements will ensure nearly $47 million, after legal costs, goes into special needs trusts for their ongoing care. Leo suffered burns over 75% of his body, requiring numerous surgeries, while Matilda faces blindness, deafness, and a drastically shortened life expectancy due to brain damage.
