- Justice for Kids®
Orlando
Orlando Office
20 North Orange Avenue, Suite 704 Orlando, FL 32801 Phone: 844-4KIDLAW (4543529); 754-888-KIDS (5437)
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Orlando may be home to Disney World and Universal Studios, but “Greater Orlando ranks third in the United States for the number of reports to the national human-trafficking hotline…indicated a growing awareness of the problem in a vulnerable community.” Although the Orlando region is promoted as the idyllic vacation spot for children and families, this Central Florida tourist destination is a veneer covering many failures in the Florida child welfare system. The attorneys from Justice for Kids have handled some of their most appalling cases in the Central Florida area.
Cases
Firm Sues Florida Dept. of Children & Families, Settles Negligence Case for $14.26 Million.
Child abuse attorney Howard Talenfeld filed a civil rights complaint in federal court on behalf of 19 children against nine Florida Department of Children and Families employees who were responsible for the children’s adoption and/or investigations of the abuse allegations. The children were allowed to be adopted and lived in various locations between Orlando, FL and Gainesville, FL despite a prior verified abuse report. The children suffered bizarre punishments and beatings. The State of Florida settled all claims, including negligence, for a total of $14.26 million.
Lawsuit for Negligent Investigation and Failure to Protect Children From Foreseeable Abuse And Neglect.
Filed in Lake County, FL against DCF and private child welfare providers for negligent investigation and failure to protect two young children from foreseeable abuse and neglect. Despite significant risk factors, the case was closed without court intervention. Four months later, the sixteen-month-old boy died from abuse, and his two-year-old sister suffered multiple injuries. The case resolved for sovereign immunity limits of $200,000 and an undisclosed amount against private agencies.
Case Involving Developmentally Disabled Foster Child Who Was the Victim of Child-On-Child Sexual Abuse.
Filed in Brevard County, FL on behalf of a developmentally disabled former foster child who was sexually abused in foster care and a residential treatment center. The case resolved against private agencies and DCF for an undisclosed amount.
Lawsuit Filed in the Middle District Of Florida on Behalf of the Estate of a Seventeen-Year-Old Foster Child.
This wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit alleged that private child welfare providers allowed a foster child’s mental health to deteriorate and encouraged her to run away, resulting in her death. The case resolved for an undisclosed amount. Smith v. Beasley, 775 F. Supp. 2d 1344 (M.D. Fla. 2011).
Foster Child Victim of Multiple Incidents of Child-On-Child Sexual Abuse by Known Sexual Predator.
Filed in Orange County, FL on behalf of a former foster child against a therapeutic group home for failure to protect a 13-year-old from repeated sexual abuse by a known predator. The case resolved for an undisclosed amount.