Lawyers: WA must pay $15 million to three sisters abused in nursing home

OLYMPIA, Washington. – The state of Washington has agreed to pay $15 million to three sisters who were sexually abused for years in a nursing home in Centralia, according to family lawyers.

The three women claim the abuse took place between 1990 and 2000, starting when the children were four, five and six years old and continuing into their teens. Two of the foster parents’ teenage sons are accused of committing the abuse.

In a press release from Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC (PCVA Law), the home where the sisters were housed was described as a “complex” with a “cult-like” environment. The press release states that the foster parents had seven biological children and at times there were as many as 12 children in the home.

The lawsuit alleges that the state did not make a single home visit to the three sisters between 1992 and 1995. It also alleges that the state had minimal contact with them prior to 1992, primarily only for a handful of visits by the biological father, who was eventually stripped of parental rights.

According to Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) policies and procedures, social workers are required to meet with foster children once a month to ensure they are safe and secure during placement.

According to attorney Vincent Nappo of PCVA Law, the social worker responsible for caring for the plaintiffs in the foster home testified that she was assigned an overwhelming caseload and was unable to meet the care requirements for her foster children.

“There is no good excuse for a social worker not to make a single health and safety visit to a foster child for years. The state must provide its social workers with the resources and support necessary to ensure foster children are safe and secure in their placements, otherwise these horrific placements will continue,” Nappo said.

In addition, the PCVA law states that in 1995, the state approved the foster parents’ adoption petition, assuring the court that the home was healthy and safe, despite concerns from mental health professionals that the sisters were not receiving adequate support and care.

The three sisters, like most of the children in the home, were brutally beaten and emotionally abused by their foster parents under the guise of “corporal punishment,” the press release states.

Mallory Allen, another attorney at PCVA Law, claims the plaintiffs were “warehoused” in the nursing home.

“The state has failed these children and done virtually nothing to monitor their safety and welfare,” Allen said. “We commend the state for the settlement, which allows our clients to avoid a lengthy and painful trial in court. But more than anything, our clients hope this sends a strong signal to the state to be vigilant in the placement and care of foster children.”

The lawsuit was filed in February 2022 and, according to PCVA Law, a three-week jury trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, July 22.

FOX 13 Seattle reached out to the Washington Attorney General’s office for comment but was referred to DCYF. DCYF told FOX 13 it had no comment.

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