Maryland-- State settles case of boy abused in foster care

State settles case of boy abused in foster care

By Lynn Anderson | Sun reporter
December 18, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,6460497.story


The Maryland Department of Human Resources has agreed to pay out $1.5
million to care for a Baltimore boy who suffered irreversible brain
damage after he was abused by another child in the foster home where he
was placed by the city Department of Social Services.

The boy, Brandon Williams, who is now 5 years old and still unable to
speak or walk, will receive an annuity of $80,000 a year for life to pay
for his medical care, according to attorneys. The state has also agreed
to pay the family $580,000 and guarantee that the boy will receive
Medicaid assistance even though the annuity would have rendered him
financially ineligible.

"It is a remarkable indictment of the foster care system," said Joseph
B. Espo, an attorney who represented the boy and his mother, Martina
Ford, also of Baltimore. "Brandon was in the hospital for more than a
year after he was injured."

Part of the money that the state will pay the family will be used to
purchase a house with easy emergency-vehicle access and to buy a van to
take Brandon, who uses a wheelchair, to his medical and therapy
appointments, said Philip Lohrey, an assistant attorney general assigned
to the Department of Human Resources. Lohrey said the settlement
represented a good outcome for both sides.

"We believe that we were able to balance Brandon's needs without unduly
burdening the state treasury and the taxpayer," he said.

Lawyers for Ford and her son initially sought $34 million in damages and
other penalties from the state.

A spokesman for the DHR said the state agency wanted to make sure the
boy was well cared for.

The $1.5 million figure includes the $580,000 cash payout as well as the
insurance annuity, which was purchased by the state from an insurance
company, said Espo. The annuity, which cost the state roughly $900,000
but guarantees the child an annual payment from the insurance company
for the rest of his life, also includes a 4 percent annual increase to
account for inflation.

Brandon's mother, who received a separate, undisclosed payout through an
insurer for the Social Services Department, said the settlement has
ended the "roller coaster ride" that has been her life since her son's
injury.

Ford, 32, lost custody of her four children for a period starting in
2004 when she was hospitalized for sickle cell anemia. Brandon and his
sister Naya were sent to live with a foster family in Randallstown.

The foster mother, Chloe Ann Jones, left Brandon and his sister in the
care of her adopted teenage daughter, a former foster child, who abused
the younger children, according to records reviewed by Espo. The
teenager, whose name has not been released, was charged as a juvenile in
the case. She is accused of tossing the boy into the air and failing to
catch him as he fell. His head slammed into a set of concrete steps.

When Jones, the foster mother, returned home, the teenager told her that
the boy was sleeping, according to court documents. Jones did not check
on the toddler until another child told her he would not wake up.

Jones took Brandon to Northwest Hospital Center, where doctors examined
him and discovered multiple fractures to his skull.

They also found an earlier fracture of his right wrist that had not been
treated, according to court documents.

A social services caseworker who went to the hospital to check on
Brandon told Ford that he had fallen and that it was "just an accident,"
court records state.

Because of the severity of his injuries, Brandon was moved to Johns
Hopkins Hospital, where he stayed for about two months. It was Hopkins
officials who suspected child abuse.

"I'm happy that it is finally over," said Ford. "I am glad that Brandon
is going to get everything that he deserves and that he needs for the
rest of his life."



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Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun





CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.


CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...