Infant who suffered abuse will get $32 million settlement from Tulare County

Thaddeus Miller, The Associated Press
·1 min read
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Tulare County agreed to pay out $32 million to settle a lawsuit that accused public employees of being negligent in responding to reports of the abuse of an infant that resulted in brain damage, an attorney for the plaintiff said.

The 10-month-old boy was hospitalized and suffered “profound and permanent brain damage due to severe malnutrition,” according to the court filing.

A civil trial was set for the coming weeks before Monday’s announcement. It was filed about a year ago on behalf of a child whom court papers refer to as “J.G.”

The lawsuit alleges that Tulare County Child Welfare Services received multiple reports since March 2020 of child abuse and neglect at the hands of the boy’s biological parents.

Along with the monetary compensation, the county agreed to add policies and software meant to give public employees of Child Welfare Services a better method for tracking allegations of child abuse, according to a statement by the law firm Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi.

Tulare County officials and attorneys did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment on the settlement.

The lawsuit accused the county, the child welfare agency and its employees of negligence. It sought unspecified monetary damages for “physical, mental and emotional pain and suffering.”

In this image released by Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi, a two-year-old boy suffering from permanent brain damage caused by abuse is seen during a medical evaluation on Dec. 10, 2021. Central California’s Tulare County will pay $32 million to settle a lawsuit alleging its child welfare agency failed to respond to reports of abuse involving the boy, who at 10 months old was hospitalized for malnutrition and suffered brain damage, plaintiffs’ attorneys said Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. (Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP via AP)