Seattle, WA- Three sisters have reached a settlement with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services after enduring years of sexual abuse by their foster brothers in rural Centralia. The state will pay $15 million to compensate for the department’s failure to protect them, according to the sisters’ attorney.
Lawyers for both sides reached a settlement on Thursday evening, over two years after the complaint was filed in February 2022, according to Vincent Nappo, the lawyer representing the sisters.
Jennifer, Sylvia, and Rachel Pittman have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse by their foster brothers during their time in foster care custody. The abuse reportedly occurred multiple times between 1990 and 1995, when the girls were as young as 6, 3, and 2 years old, respectively. These disturbing allegations have been detailed in a trial brief provided by Nappo. The trial was set to begin on Monday in Thurston County.
Louisiana Prison Officer Arrested for Abusing Female Inmates; Fired after Apprehension
According to the brief, the social worker responsible for the sisters’ well-being did not fulfill their monthly visits as mandated by policy. Additionally, they neglected to address a complaint regarding the behavior of the brothers, which resulted in the ongoing abuse even after the girls were adopted by their foster parents in 1995.
The biological parents of the brothers, who took on the role of foster parents to the sisters in 1990 and officially adopted them in 1995, did not provide any response to The Times’ inquiries.
Norah West, a spokesperson for the Department of Social and Health Services, directed inquiries to the state Department of Children, Youth & Families, which assumed control of foster care and child welfare, along with associated responsibilities and liabilities, in 2018.
The women recounted the brothers’ experience of enduring sexual abuse, as well as the physical and emotional torment inflicted by their foster parents. These traumatic events started soon after the state placed them in foster care on the family’s five-acre property in rural Centralia in July 1990. According to Nappo, the state had taken the girls away from their biological parents’ custody seven months ago due to neglect.
Jennifer, Sylvia, and Rachel Pittman, who are now 39, 37, and 36 years old, respectively, became part of the foster family’s seven biological children, according to the brief.
North Carolina Nurse Arrested for Disseminating Child Abuse Material: Police Say
The sisters described their home as a place of unimaginable horror, where they suffered from sexual abuse by their older brothers and endured violence from their foster parents. This included beatings with belts or spatulas, as well as cruel punishments like being forced to sleep on the toilet or sit in a bathtub of cold water for hours. Their heartbreaking account was shared during a phone call on Wednesday.
The sisters revealed that in addition to them, their parents had many other foster children. While the couple showcased these children in public, they subjected them to abuse and treated them as inferior to their biological children in private.
The state allegedly neglected its duty to protect the three sisters from abuse while they were in foster care, according to the brief.
According to the brief, the social worker assigned to the sisters only visited them eight times at the social and health services department to conduct supervised visits with their biological father between July 1990 and January 1992. According to Nappo, the social worker failed to visit the girls at the foster family’s home for over two years, from March 1992 to January 1995.
In January 1991, one of the girls reported to the social worker that the boys in the home were observing them while they were unclothed. According to the brief, the social worker noted in her case records in January 1991 that it would be advisable to relocate the girls to a different home. However, despite the sisters’ complaints, no action was taken to move them or conduct an investigation.
Middle-Aged Man Posed as Teen to Get Nude Images from Other Teens; Arrested in Florida
The women expressed that the abuse they endured from their foster family had a profound and lasting impact on their lives. This included difficulties with substance abuse, mental health, and involvement in the criminal justice system.
A few years ago, the sisters made the decision to consult with a lawyer. This was prompted by an incident that took place when Rachel Pittman allowed her 12-year-old son to attend a sleepover at her adoptive family’s home in Centralia. Unfortunately, a “sexual incident” occurred during this time, leading to the need for legal counsel.
Following the incident, the sisters expressed their hope that the children still in the couple’s custody, including those they have adopted, would be removed to ensure their safety from any ongoing abuse in their home, as stated by the sisters.
Source: The Chronicle