Foster sons seek millions from Alaska
Posted : Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:06:58 GMT
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/172605.html
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 12 A lawsuit against the state of Alaska by two
boys placed with an abusive foster mother went to trial this week.
The two boys, identified only as A.J. and D.D., are seeking $10 million
each, The Anchorage Daily News reported. Now in their late teens, the
plaintiffs are still wards of the state.
Their foster mother, Melissa Falgoust, spent more than six years in
prison for killing another foster son with a baseball bat. A.J. and D.D.
saw her attack Steven Murray in 1999.
"We are suing the state of Alaska because it failed to protect these
children. It failed to follow its own regulations and policies when it
was required to do so," Christine Schleuss, an attorney for the boys,
said in her opening statement.
Lawyers for the state said Falgoust and her husband were "conniving" and
knew how to cover their tracks. Assistant Attorney General Gail
Voigtlander said the Office of Child Services made "reasonable and
appropriate decisions" given the information available.