Washington State has agreed to pay a $15 million settlement to three sisters who accused the Department of Social and Health Services of not protecting them from years of sexual abuse by their teenage foster brothers in rural Centralia, according to the sisters’ attorney Vincent Nappo. The settlement was reached after more than two years of legal proceedings, with the complaint initially filed in February 2022.
The sisters, Jennifer, Sylvia, and Rachel Pittman, alleged that they were sexually abused numerous times between 1990 and 1995 by their foster brothers while they were in foster care custody at ages as young as 6, 3, and 2, respectively. The abuse continued even after the girls were adopted by their foster parents in 1995, as their state-assigned social worker failed to visit them regularly and did not investigate complaints about their brothers’ behavior.
The women described the environment in their foster home as a “horror house,” where they endured not only sexual abuse but also physical and emotional torment by their foster parents. They shared stories of being subjected to beatings, forced to endure extreme punishments, and feeling like second-class citizens compared to the biological children in the household.
Despite the settlement, the sisters expressed that the money would not erase the trauma they experienced, which has had lasting effects on their lives, including struggles with mental health, substance abuse, and incarceration. The women hope to use a portion of the settlement to establish a hotline for foster children to report abuse, with legal representation available to assist them.
The case sheds light on the failures of the state’s child welfare system to protect vulnerable children in foster care and the need for greater accountability and oversight. While the settlement provides some measure of justice for the sisters, it does not address the lack of accountability for the abuse they suffered or the long-term impact it has had on their lives.
Moving forward, it is crucial for state agencies and social workers to prioritize the safety and well-being of children in foster care, ensuring that they are adequately protected and supported. By listening to survivors’ stories and taking action to prevent future abuse, we can work towards a system that truly serves the best interests of all children in need.
