In April, attorneys representing the state of Washington were dealt a stunning defeat in a lawsuit over the death of a 2-year-old Pierce County girl.
After a five-week trial, a jury found the state liable for the death of Sarai Brooks, awarding $130 million to the toddler’s surviving siblings and family. It was the largest wrongful death jury award of its kind in state history.
Brooks was killed in 2022 by her mother’s boyfriend after Washington’s child-welfare agency returned her to the home despite past abuse concerns that had led the agency to temporarily remove her and place her in a shelter. Her treatment in the final months of her life was described as “torture” and a veteran detective called it “the worst case of child abuse” she’d ever seen…