CHILD PROTECTIVE DISSERVICE

Montana Ordered to Pay $16M for Neglecting Baby in Abusive Home

A judge ruled the state failed to investigate abuse allegations before a 6-month-old suffered injuries that caused blindness, developmental delays, and seizures.

A jury awarded a 13-year-old girl in Montana $16.6 million for the state’s negligence and failure to remove her from the custody of her father and his girlfriend, who inflicted grievous injuries on her in 2009. A judge ruled the state failed to investigate abuse allegations before the girl, then 6 months old, suffered injuries that caused blindness, developmental delays, and seizures—all preventable, if the Division of Child and Family Services caseworker had assessed whether the victim had been in a safe household the year before, according to the judge. Her lawyer Larry Anderson said of the penalty, which will fund her care, “This is an important moment for our client and represents a measure of justice for her.” The father’s girlfriend swung the baby against the edge of a wooden crib multiple times and was later sentenced to 30 years in prison.