Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
Death of 5-year-old girl is all too familiar story in Oklahoma
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Billybob" data-source="post: 1557230" data-attributes="member: 1294"><p>Here's a case few know about, it resulted in a $20 million judgement in a separate civil case against the foster parent.</p><p></p><p>August 9, 2005</p><p>The cockroach-bitten baby died while in the state's care.</p><p>BY MATT ELLIOTT</p><p>World Staff Writer</p><p>The state Department of Human Services has settled a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that child-welfare workers failed to protect an infant who died from a respiratory illness while in state custody.</p><p>Seven-month-old Aurora Espinal-Cruz's foster brother found her cockroach-bitten body Jan. 27, 2002, lying face-down and unresponsive in a crib at her foster parents' Tulsa home, a medical examiner's report states. Doctors pronounced her dead later at Hillcrest Medical Center. Medical personnel investigating her death found what they believed to be cockroach bites on her vagina and anus, the lawsuit alleges.</p><p>The lawsuit, filed in October 2003 on behalf of the child's estate, alleged that DHS case workers failed to seek medical care for Aurora's respiratory illness, which the medical examiner's report identified as the cause of her death.</p><p>Also, the lawsuit accused DHS of violating the girl's civil rights under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it accused case workers of negligence and indifference to the girl's suffering.</p><p>District Judge Rebecca Nightingale approved a sealed settlement agreement Wednesday after another judge denied DHS lawyers' motion to dismiss the suit, records show.</p><p>The plaintiff's lawyer, Daniel B. Graves, would not comment, citing the sealed settlement and juvenile records' confidentiality. DHS spokesman George Johnson Jr. said that "as a part of that agreement, there was no admission of liability on the part of the state."</p><p>He said Nightingale sealed the case to protect other juveniles related to the case.</p><p>Although Tulsa police investigated the death, no criminal charges were filed against the girl's foster parents, Deanza and Lorenzo Jones Jr.</p><p>Graves alleged in his filings that DHS had received childabuse complaints in the past against Deanza Jones, who was convicted in 1991 of misdemeanor fraud.</p><p>On Oct. 14, 2002, about nine months after Aurora's death, Tulsa police investigating a report of child abuse arrested Deanza Jones on a complaint of injury to a minor child, an arrest report states. She was later charged on accusations that she struck a boy who was then 8 years old several times with an extension cord, injuring his leg. Jones admitted her guilt and received a two-year deferred sentence, records show.</p><p>The lawsuit also alleged that DHS workers failed to notify Aurora's foster parents of her medical condition and that the couple, whose home was infested with cockroaches, failed to seek treatment for her.</p><p>DHS lawyers filed court documents denying the allegations. Aurora was born June 21, 2001, to Jaimee Espinal-Cruz, who was 27, Graves wrote. In November, allegations surfaced with DHS that Aurora's older sister was "excessively disciplined" by her stepfather.</p><p>No criminal charges were filed, but DHS removed the girls, placing them with their maternal grandmother and stepgrandfather, Graves' filings state.</p><p>In December 2001, a pediatrician diagnosed Aurora with an upper respiratory infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and told Aurora's grandmother to come back if Aurora did not improve. However, after more abuse allegations - for which no charges were ever filed - DHS removed Aurora from her grandmother and placed her in several foster homes, ending with the Joneses' several days before her death.</p><p>Meanwhile, Aurora remained ill, but DHS workers did not return phone calls from her grandmother, who had called them with information about the baby's illness, Graves alleged. In addition to Aurora's foster parents and DHS, the lawsuit also named as defendants Thomas Key, Dulcie Owens, Audry Lyn Banks, Alicia Bullock, Donna Hendrix, Judy Lewis, Amy Donaldson, Michelle Barr, Kelly Johnson and Steve Scott.</p><p>At the time of the lawsuit, Owens was the DHS child welfare supervisor with Aurora on her case load, a DHS attorney wrote in a witness list. Key was a child welfare worker who also had the girl's case.</p><p>Banks, a foster-care supervisor, approved a home study conducted by Bullock for the Jones home, the attorney wrote. A home study is conducted before a foster home is approved for placement.</p><p>Hendrix was assigned the Joneses' foster-care case in November 2001. Lewis, the placement coordinator for the fostercare unit, arranged for children's placement in the Joneses' home. It was not clear what roles Barr, Johnson and Scott played.</p><p></p><p></p><p> In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. GRG [Ref.<a href="http://www.law" target="_blank">http://www.law</a>. cornell.edu/ uscode/17/ 107.shtml]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Billybob, post: 1557230, member: 1294"] Here's a case few know about, it resulted in a $20 million judgement in a separate civil case against the foster parent. August 9, 2005 The cockroach-bitten baby died while in the state's care. BY MATT ELLIOTT World Staff Writer The state Department of Human Services has settled a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that child-welfare workers failed to protect an infant who died from a respiratory illness while in state custody. Seven-month-old Aurora Espinal-Cruz's foster brother found her cockroach-bitten body Jan. 27, 2002, lying face-down and unresponsive in a crib at her foster parents' Tulsa home, a medical examiner's report states. Doctors pronounced her dead later at Hillcrest Medical Center. Medical personnel investigating her death found what they believed to be cockroach bites on her vagina and anus, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit, filed in October 2003 on behalf of the child's estate, alleged that DHS case workers failed to seek medical care for Aurora's respiratory illness, which the medical examiner's report identified as the cause of her death. Also, the lawsuit accused DHS of violating the girl's civil rights under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and it accused case workers of negligence and indifference to the girl's suffering. District Judge Rebecca Nightingale approved a sealed settlement agreement Wednesday after another judge denied DHS lawyers' motion to dismiss the suit, records show. The plaintiff's lawyer, Daniel B. Graves, would not comment, citing the sealed settlement and juvenile records' confidentiality. DHS spokesman George Johnson Jr. said that "as a part of that agreement, there was no admission of liability on the part of the state." He said Nightingale sealed the case to protect other juveniles related to the case. Although Tulsa police investigated the death, no criminal charges were filed against the girl's foster parents, Deanza and Lorenzo Jones Jr. Graves alleged in his filings that DHS had received childabuse complaints in the past against Deanza Jones, who was convicted in 1991 of misdemeanor fraud. On Oct. 14, 2002, about nine months after Aurora's death, Tulsa police investigating a report of child abuse arrested Deanza Jones on a complaint of injury to a minor child, an arrest report states. She was later charged on accusations that she struck a boy who was then 8 years old several times with an extension cord, injuring his leg. Jones admitted her guilt and received a two-year deferred sentence, records show. The lawsuit also alleged that DHS workers failed to notify Aurora's foster parents of her medical condition and that the couple, whose home was infested with cockroaches, failed to seek treatment for her. DHS lawyers filed court documents denying the allegations. Aurora was born June 21, 2001, to Jaimee Espinal-Cruz, who was 27, Graves wrote. In November, allegations surfaced with DHS that Aurora's older sister was "excessively disciplined" by her stepfather. No criminal charges were filed, but DHS removed the girls, placing them with their maternal grandmother and stepgrandfather, Graves' filings state. In December 2001, a pediatrician diagnosed Aurora with an upper respiratory infection. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and told Aurora's grandmother to come back if Aurora did not improve. However, after more abuse allegations - for which no charges were ever filed - DHS removed Aurora from her grandmother and placed her in several foster homes, ending with the Joneses' several days before her death. Meanwhile, Aurora remained ill, but DHS workers did not return phone calls from her grandmother, who had called them with information about the baby's illness, Graves alleged. In addition to Aurora's foster parents and DHS, the lawsuit also named as defendants Thomas Key, Dulcie Owens, Audry Lyn Banks, Alicia Bullock, Donna Hendrix, Judy Lewis, Amy Donaldson, Michelle Barr, Kelly Johnson and Steve Scott. At the time of the lawsuit, Owens was the DHS child welfare supervisor with Aurora on her case load, a DHS attorney wrote in a witness list. Key was a child welfare worker who also had the girl's case. Banks, a foster-care supervisor, approved a home study conducted by Bullock for the Jones home, the attorney wrote. A home study is conducted before a foster home is approved for placement. Hendrix was assigned the Joneses' foster-care case in November 2001. Lewis, the placement coordinator for the fostercare unit, arranged for children's placement in the Joneses' home. It was not clear what roles Barr, Johnson and Scott played. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. GRG [Ref.[url]http://www.law[/url]. cornell.edu/ uscode/17/ 107.shtml] [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
Death of 5-year-old girl is all too familiar story in Oklahoma
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom