The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) took custody of an infant from a hospital, placing it with foster caregivers Kevin and Tiffany Herrman of Milton. The boy died while in their care in 2023, and a related lawsuit was recently settled.
No news of the infant’s death happened when it occured; however, a March 18, 2026 legal ad announcing the settlement was published, revealing DCF settled a $150,000 tort claim, which will be paid by the State of Florida.
Escambia County Clerk of Court records show the lawsuit against DCF was filed by Tallahassee Attorney Karen Gievers, a former Florida Circuit Judge, on behalf of the estate of Baby “J.A.” Those documents show the names of the Plaintiffs were replaced with pseudonyms to protect their privacy. Other defendants in the original lawsuit included Northwest Florida Health Network, the Hermanns and Families First Network (FFN)…