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FILE NO., COURT AND DATE FILED
BS089106 (Cal. Supr. Crt., Los Angeles County, Mar. 26, 2004)
CITATIONS
None
CLEARINGHOUSE REVIEW NO.
None
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFFS
Carol Shauffer Alice Bussiere Youth Law Center 417 Montgomery Street, Suite 900 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 543-3379 Fax: (415) 956-9022 cschauffer(at)ylc.org
Jeffrey Spitz Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman, Machtinger & Kinsella 1900 Avenue of the Stars, 21st Floor Los Angeles, CA 90067 (310) 553-3610
ISSUES
Plaintiffs' complaint alleged that Los Angeles officials failed to investigate family members before sending children to live with them, thereby endangering children and costing the state millions of dollars in federal funding. The lawsuit sought to enforce compliance with the state statutory mandates agreed to in Higgins v. Saenz established to ensure that foster families caring for their relatives' children are certified.
HISTORY AND STATUS
Plaintiffs filed suit in December 2003, alleging that Los Angeles County violated state and federal requirements designed to ensure that children are safe because the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) failed to approve relative foster homes according to legal standards and to assist relatives in meeting basic health and safety requirements.
The parties settled this case, and are currently awaiting final court approval and dismissal.
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