A lawsuit has been filed by the adoptive mother of an 8-year-old girl alleging that the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) failed to protect and investigate sexual and physical abuse by the girl’s biological father. According to the lawsuit, the DYFS had a callous disregard for the child’s safety and failed to act in light of evidence of abuse. In 2003, DYFS was found to be grossly negligent and the agency was overhauled.
According to the adoptive mother, the child undergoes weekly therapy sessions. The child has been remembering the abuse in fragmented fashion, has intrusive thoughts and frequent nightmares, which are consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found in trauma survivors.
The lawsuit also names Jersey Shore University Medical Center for failing to act when the girl, then 2-years-old, was brought in for alcohol poisoning and failed to report the incident to DYFS. The lawsuit does not specify damages, but most likely, they will include compensation for present and future psychotherapy session as well as punitive damages.
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