Woman sues Sacramento County alleging she was sexually abused in a foster home
A woman is suing Sacramento County alleging that she was sexually assaulted repeatedly at a foster home.
The girl, identified in the lawsuit only as FJ to protect her privacy, was placed in foster care in 2000, when she was 9, the lawsuit said.
Shortly after she arrived with a family, the mother began physically abusing her and withholding food, and also made her strip nude while she took pornographic photos, the lawsuit alleged.
When FJ was about 10, the family’s biological son started sexually abusing her about two to three times a week for about two and a half years, sometimes in the presence of other foster children, the lawsuit alleged. The acts included forced oral copulation and forced vaginal penetration, the lawsuit alleged.
FJ told a therapist with Triad Family Services, a county contractor, about the abuse, and the therapist sent her back to the house, the lawsuit alleged.
Triad Family Services CEO Nancy Reagh declined comment because the agency has not yet been served with the lawsuit. She was unaware of the incident, she said. The agency has offices in Sacramento, Oakland and Lathrop.
The lawsuit also alleged that the mistreatment of foster children in the county is systemic and that the county participated in a cover up. It alleges the county failed to ensure that caseworkers were adequately trained and supervised, had manageable caseloads, and could perform regular unannounced visits in environments the child could feel comfortable to disclose abuse.
The county declined comment on the lawsuit because it does not comment on pending litigation, said Samantha Mott, a county spokeswoman. The county still has a contract with Triad, along with many foster family agencies, she said.
When the county’s Child Protective Services receives complaints of abuse or neglect in foster homes, officials investigate, Mott said. CPS officials also conduct annual investigations of all licensed foster homes and county social workers have monthly face-to-face contact with all foster children, she said.
“It’s a tragedy when kids are removed from an unsafe home, then placed into an even more dangerous home and sexually abused,” said Jeff Herman, the attorney for FJ, in a statement. “Foster children are extremely vulnerable. We have cases across the country where the agency was in charge to protect these children and failed to act safely.”
