Former foster children awarded $7M settlement following abuse allegations.
A Landmark Settlement for Former Foster Care Children
A group of former foster care children have won a groundbreaking $7 million settlement from the state of Massachusetts after authorities allegedly turned a blind eye to their horrific abuse at the hands of their carers.
The lawsuit, filed by four brave survivors, targeted the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) and 17 officials from the agency. It revealed shocking details of repeated reports of abuse being ignored, exposing the children to ongoing sexual, physical, and emotional torture in the foster home of Raymond and Susan Blouin in Oxford, Massachusetts.
The lawsuit also uncovered the disturbing fact that reports of child abuse were shredded by the DCF. The abuse took place in the Blouins’ home, infamously known as the ”house of horrors,” during various periods from the late 1990s to 2004.
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The survivors’ harrowing accounts include being submerged in ice baths to the point of drowning, being forced to perform sex acts, and being locked up in dog crates. The Blouins also allegedly threatened the children with death if they ever reported the abuse.
The release by BHPK, the law firm representing the abuse survivors, stated that the DCF “ignored fourteen reports of abuse and were deliberately indifferent” to the children’s suffering in the Blouins’ home.
After a long legal battle, the four former foster children reached a historic $7 million settlement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The plaintiffs, who filed their case as adults in 2019, have faced immense challenges. One of them tragically overdosed and died during the litigation, while another is currently incarcerated.
Attorney Erica L. Brody, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized that this case exposed a complete failure of the foster care system. While no amount of money can truly compensate for their suffering, the settlement serves as an acknowledgment of the state’s responsibility in allowing foster children to endure years of torture in the Blouin home.
Ms. Brody added, “This case sets a precedent in Massachusetts and across the country. State social workers who turn a blind eye to the suffering of foster children will be held accountable for violating the United States Constitution.”
In the early 2000s, the Blouins and Susan Blouin’s boyfriend Philip Paquette were charged with child abuse. Ms. Blouin’s case was dismissed, while Mr. Blouin pleaded guilty and received probation.
In 2019, the Blouins faced charges again after two more victims came forward. They are currently facing charges of battery on a child and assault, which they have denied.
Social Workers Shielded By State Laws
Despite acknowledging the horrific abuse suffered by the former foster care children, the DCF’s lawyers denied any fault on the part of the social workers. They argued that social work is not an exact science and that even good social work can fall short of the agency’s goal of keeping children safe.
Carmen Durso, a lawyer specializing in representing survivors of sexual abuse, explained that lawsuits against state officials for failing to protect children are challenging to win due to state laws that shield employees from culpability.
The plaintiffs maintain that the agency should have known the children were in danger in the Blouin home. They highlight that even after a teenager with cerebral palsy died in the home in 1997, the agency continued to place children in the Blouins’ foster care.
Reforming DCF
In a statement to Worcester, the DCF acknowledged the severity of the abuse suffered by the former foster care children. However, they maintained that social workers were not at fault and that the agency took action to remove the children from the home as soon as legally possible.
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