Grandmother files lawsuit in foster baby's death

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...al/6193594.htm

Posted on Sat, Jun. 28, 2003



Grandmother files lawsuit in foster baby's death


Associated Press

PICKENS, S.C. - The grandmother of a baby killed by a foster mother has
filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the foster parents and the state
Department of Social Services.

Martha Elaine Galloway is the paternal grandmother of Josephine Alley
Galloway, a 13-month-old girl who died in August 2001 after her foster
mother, Rebecca Richards Martin, shook her.

The lawsuit claims Josephine "suffered physical abuse, emotional abuse, and
neglect" at the foster home and that DSS workers either knew or should have
known about signs of abuse and neglect. The suit seeks actual and punitive
damages, the amount to be determined by a jury.

Martin pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in November 2002 and was
sentenced to 15 years in prison. The baby had been in the care of Martin
and her husband, Thomas Wayne Martin Jr., since March 2001.

A phone call seeking comment from DSS was not immediately returned Friday
afternoon and Thomas Wayne Martin Jr. could not be reached for comment.

Galloway's attorney, Karen Roper, said the Pickens County Probate Court has
appointed the grandmother, who lives in Pickens County, as the
representative of Josephine's estate.

Roper said the DSS has filed motions to have Galloway removed as
Josephine's representative and to avoid sharing details about the toddler's
case.





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