Justice for Kids®

$26

Child Abuse, Foster Care Negligence

Attorneys representing eight developmentally disabled foster children who were placed in what one judge called a “house of horrors” foster home settled with New York state adoption and child welfare agencies and their state-contracted providers in 2014 for $26 million. This includes a prior $9.7 million settlement.

$15

Negligent Investigation, Child Brain Injury

A young girl has been awarded a $15 million verdict against the Florida Department of Children & Families (”DCF”) for negligently investigating abuse reports that her mother had abused drugs endangering the child. The eight-year-old girl who is referred to as H.H., was tortured and suffered permanent traumatic brain injury and quadriplegia from repeated episodes of abusive head trauma and is now completely dependent on others for all aspects of her daily functioning.

$14

Negligence, Civil Rights (Child Abuse)

Child abuse attorney Howard Talenfeld filed a civil rights complaint on behalf of 19 children against nine Florida Department of Children and Families employees for egregious abuse and neglect in the home of Nellie Johnson. The State settled all of the Plaintiffs’ claims, including a negligence claim in Alachua County against DCF, for a total of $14.26 million.

$14

Negligent Adoption

The adoptive parents of a young boy with special needs have been awarded $13.5 million in damages against Jewish Family and Community Services, Inc. (JFCS) for negligently misrepresenting and failing to disclose material facts related to his history during the adoption process. The jury found that JFCS acted with wanton and willful disregard for the human rights and safety of the family and adoptive child.

$10

Personal Injury, Catastrophic Injury

David Ashcroft, a 20-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered catastrophic injuries when his horse veered across the racecourse toward a negligently placed exit gap, causing him to fall and be run over by another horse, rendering him a quadriplegic. A $10 million jury verdict was reinstated by The Supreme Court of Florida after being reversed on appeal.

$10

Child Abuse, Foster Care Negligence

Foster child abuse attorney Howard Talenfeld represented several former-foster kids who settled with the city of New York in December 2012. The city agreed to pay $9.7 million to settle the lawsuit. The money will help the former foster kids, some of whom were destitute and homeless at the time of the settlement.