Washington to pay $5.3 million to abused children
Oct 1, 2012, 3:02 PM | Updated: 4:07 pm
The state of Washington will pay $5.3 million to four people who were placed in an abusive foster home as children.
The court settlement was reached Monday and is intended to head off a trial scheduled for next year.
The plaintiffs were placed with Sylvia and Michael Wenger in 1996, and allege they were subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse until they were removed from the Stevens County home in 2001.
“One of the children came forward and claimed they were being physically and sexually abused,” said Chris Case with the Department of Social and Health Services. “They felt that we should have known sooner about the problems in that home and should have intervened sooner.”
Michael Wenger was later convicted of first-degree child molestation and served seven years in prison.
“It is truly unfortunate that these children suffered at the hands of adults they had trusted to love and keep them safe,” said DSHS Children’s Administration Assistant Secretary Denise Revels Robinson.
The agency chose to reach a settlement with the victims rather than proceed to trial, which would have been “embarrassing for the children,” according to Case.
DSHS said they have taken steps to ensure such oversight does not occur in the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
