EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Washington state has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it failed to protect a girl and her siblings who were abandoned in a filthy home.
The Daily Herald reported Tuesday that the case was filed on behalf of a 9-year-old girl who is now living with her biological father. Two other children and the girl were living with her mother in a home that had no heat and feces covering the floor.
The lawsuit claims the state Department of Social and Health Services failed to protect the children despite numerous warnings and opportunities to intervene.
Seattle attorney Lafacadio Darling said evidence showed the state received warnings of neglect as early as 2011, but failed to take appropriate steps.