“While Rica’s abusers may be behind bars, we have not yet achieved full justice for this child,” said Crump, who also serves as attorney for the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor families in separate police-involved killings. When Ann Simmons last saw her daughter Rica Rountree alive on April 20, 2018, with obvious signs of abuse, she knew she had to change her life for the better if she was going to save her daughter’s life. Attorney Richard Dvorak filed a lawsuit on behalf of several parents against multiple hospitals and the Illinois DCFS; In 2015 the Illinois DCFS introduced a policy making vitamin K shots mandatory in newborns ; If a parent denied the vitamin K shot an investigation was opened with DCFS for medical neglect The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring the state and Illinois DCFS from enforcing the handgun restriction and also asks the court to declare the rule unconstitutional. Lawyers declined to provide a specific amount of damages being sought in the case filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and the state Court of Claims. Signs of more serious abuse were reported by a school nurse in December 2019 when Rica came to school with two black eyes. Looking to file a lawsuit against DCFS of the State of Illinois... My son was involved in a previous case that had him placed a ward of the state because he was in the home of his father where an infant died. DCFS, Lakeshore Hospital Sued by Public Guardian Over Alleged ‘Unspeakable Acts of Sexual Abuse' The lawsuit claims DCFS, hospital 'turned a blind eye' to … DCFS supervisor Mark Delashmit approved caseworker Johanna O’Brien’s recommendation that the claim be deemed “unfounded,” despite information from Delashmit’s own investigation that “caused him to suspect and/or know Rica was at risk” while living in Rountree's household, the lawsuit alleges. A class-action lawsuit was filed last week in the Northern District of Illinois against the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), its agents, and several doctors and nurses in … McHenry County Board member Carlos Acosta before the start of the board meeting on Oct. 15, 2019, in Woodstock. Restore Illinois - Licensed Day Care Guidance, , DCFS understands that the COVID-19 pandemic is an everchanging situation. Freund case have been arrested on child endangerment charges. James White was placed on the Illinois sex offender registry in 2002, according to the lawsuit. Joining the Ben Crump firm on the legal team are the Chicago firms of Levin and Perconti and Spiros Law, both of Chicago. Reports based on specific claims of abuse started in July 2017 when Rica’s mother, Ann Simmons, told DCFS her daughter was regularly whipped with a belt by Baker. Lawsuit Says DCFS In Violation of 2nd Amendment By Ash-har Quraishi • Published April 19, 2018 • Updated on April 19, 2018 at 7:18 pm Should … Jim Edgar and Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Director Sue Suter announced what they called "sweeping reforms" of Illinois' child welfare system.These reforms came from the consent decree that settled a three-year-old lawsuit against DCFS. If you believe the abuse or neglect you are reporting requires immediate action, you MUST call the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873) to … They allege DCFS wastes $125,000 in taxpayer dollars each month because the department is unable to place these children in the proper facilities once their hospital stays are supposed to end. The DCFS Office of Inspector General created in 1993 to specifically address shortcomings in agency investigations annually tallies the deaths and causes of about 100 children who die in DCFS care. Cynthia Baker’s life sentence in the beating death of an 8-year-old girl will stand, a judge ruled on Tuesday. Credible abuse was determined in two of those cases involving Baker in 2002 and 2012, according to DCFS reports. In a virtual news conference, nationally recognized civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and two members of his legal team said Rica’s constitutional rights were violated by the state, the Department of Children and Family Services and six DCFS workers who failed to protect her from ongoing physical abuse. Parents are often discouraged from fighting the allegations in a DCFS investigation, but a positive finding of abuse or neglect can result in a removal of your child. you prepare your complaint, sign it under rule 137. go to the court house. DCFS continues to operate its … give it to the clerk. WOODSTOCK, Ill. (CBS) — A former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services caseworker and his supervisor who both worked on the A.J. BRE Law is experienced at guiding individuals through the administrative hearing process. Everyone can access this essential public service thanks to community support. At the time DCFS placed Rica with her father and Baker in September 2016, the agency’s records contained numerous reports of alleged abuse of other children by the pair. Abrasions to Rica’s lip, a gash over her eye and scars on her neck prompted an April 20, 2018, call to the DCFS hotline from Simmons. In 1997, a class of parents and child-serving professionals filed a lawsuit against the Department of Children and Family Services, seeking extensive reform of DCFS investigations, based on violations of due process. The girl’s father, Richard Rountree, was convicted of child endangerment, and his girlfriend, Cynthia Baker, is serving a life sentence for murder. The federal lawsuit, filed on behalf of AJ's two surviving brothers, alleges DCFS only investigated two of several calls made to the agency's hotline. 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