Sullivan, O., & Judson, A. (2026). Washington state to pay $80M settlement to injured siblings. Msn.Com. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/washington-state-to-pay-80m-settlement-to-injured-siblings/ar-aa25qipy?ocid=bingnewsserp
The failure of state child welfare agencies to adequately protect youth often exposes vulnerable children to unchecked physical abuse, emotional abuse, lifelong damage, and severe personal injury. According to an MSN article written by Olivia Sullivan and Andie Judson, this dangerous systemic negligence led to an $80 million settlement to two Lakewood siblings, Leo “Bubby” Strode and Matilda Strode after caseworkers for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) left them in the care of their biological parents despite clear safety risks. In May 2020, eight-month-old Bubby, who was born with methamphetamine in his system, was left unsupervised in a shed that caught fire from space heaters and tangled wiring, leaving him with severe burns over 75% of his body. His six-week-old sister Matilda, born with heroin in her system, was suffocated in January 2022 when her parents fell asleep after using drugs, even though a judge had explicitly prohibited unsupervised contact, but DCYF failed to inform her biological grandmother of the mandate. Matilda was left quadriplegic, deaf, blind, and mute. DCYF notably refused to admit any wrongdoing despite an investigation by KING 5 revealing that the agency waited 125 days to notify its insurance carriers of the lawsuits, missing the strict 81-day deadline. This failure led to a denial of coverage, leaving Washington taxpayers completely responsible for the multimillion-dollar payout.