(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A new federal lawsuit claims workers with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) ignored doctors’ opinions and unnecessarily separated an infant boy from his downstate parents for several months.
The young boy, referred to only as “GL” by family members and attorneys, was removed from his Spanish speaking family by DCFS in July 2023. He wasn’t returned to his parents until October 2023.
Lawyers said GL was 7 months old when his mother took him to a doctor to address a minor, sun-related burn. During the visit, she was asked to explain the burn and several spots on his leg, but the hospital failed to provide her with an interpreter.
According to the complaint, which was provided to WBBM Newsradio, the doctor called the DCFS hotline, which instructed the on-call DCFS caseworker to take GL into custody.
Records obtained by family attorney Michelle Coady Carter showed that, one day later, a DCFS caseworker reached out to the a child abuse pediatrician who serves as a forensic consultant for the department.