LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Child Welfare Failure
Tallahassee, FL: (Apr-29-08) A lawsuit was brought against the State Child Welfare Department, alleging that child welfare workers failed to heed warnings from doctors and nurses who treated 9-year-old Marissa Amora, for abuse related injuries. The suit stated that the 9-year-old girl sustained irreversible brain damage from abuse by her mother and her mother's live-in-boyfriend. The abuse resulted in the child having to be treated at the Children's Hospital in MI. Reports indicated that the mother physically hurt the child even when she was in the hospital, and that despite the evidence, Melissa was allowed to return to her mother's home. Following that incident, reports say that Melissa was taken to the hospital emergency room at Bethesda Hospital with severe head and spinal injuries.
As part of a settlement reached in the case, state officials say that the Florida Senate approved an $18.2 million settlement for Melissa, who now lives with a foster family in the Panhandle town of Marianna. Court papers show that the mother was convicted on child abuse charges. Her mother's live-in-boyfriend has never been found and was never charged. Sources stated that the payout was the largest claims bill approved by state lawmakers in a decade. [SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL: FLORIDA SENATE APPROVES $18.2 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL]
Published on May-1-08
As part of a settlement reached in the case, state officials say that the Florida Senate approved an $18.2 million settlement for Melissa, who now lives with a foster family in the Panhandle town of Marianna. Court papers show that the mother was convicted on child abuse charges. Her mother's live-in-boyfriend has never been found and was never charged. Sources stated that the payout was the largest claims bill approved by state lawmakers in a decade. [
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