Lawyer for WA starved girl, brother sues for $40M

SEATTLE (AP) — A new lawsuit seeks $40 million on behalf of a starved Carnation, Wash., girl and her brother.

At age 14, the girl weighed just 48 pounds when her father and stepmother were arrested in 2008. They were sentenced to prison for criminal mistreatment.

The lawsuit filed last week in King County Superior Court by lawyer Tim Tesh accuses Washington state’s Child Protective Services of not intervening in 2005, when the family was first investigated.

At that time, a CPS caseworker found evidence of neglect, but recommended the parents get counseling and closed the case one month after a visit to the home satisfied the caseworker that the situation had improved.

CPS spokeswoman Sherry Hill says the agency can’t comment on pending litigation. CPS is run by the state Department of Social and Health Services. But Hill adds, “We take to heart any case in which harm is inflicted on a child with whom we’ve had contact.”

Tesh says both children now live with relatives in New Mexico.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com