Bittersweet Justice: Montana

Occasionally there is justice for those negatively affected by the child welfare and adoption systems. Unfortunately, it is usually bittersweet and much too late. This will serve as REFORM Talk’s justice files.

 

‘The insurer for Lewis and Clark County will pay $200,000 to a foster child to settle part of a lawsuit that claimed a sheriff’s deputy failed to report abuse of two boys by their adoptive parents in Lincoln in 2006.

In a compromise approved by District Judge Mike Menahan on July 25, the Montana Association of Counties Joint Powers Insurance Authorities will fund an irrevocable special needs trust for the boy to cover attorney’s fees, medical and mental health care, educational expenses and necessary living expenses.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (the boy’s guardian) determined the settlement is in the boy’s best interests, according to court documents.

He was 17 at the time of the settlement and will live with foster parents until his graduation from high school, according to the compromise document.

The county and others named in the suit did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. Litigation continues involving the other boy.

According to a complaint filed in 2010 by lawyers for the boys, a woman reported to Deputy Gary Weisner abuse by their adoptive parents, Cindy and Frank Knowles. But Weisner did not properly report the complaints, according to the lawsuit.

Alleged abuse included slapping a boy several times in the face; lifting a boy off the ground, screaming at him and hitting his bare back; and hitting another boy with a belt, causing noticeable bruises. A school principal noticed a large bruise on one of the boys in 2008 and reported it to state authorities.

Cindy Knowles was sentenced in January 2009 to three years with the Montana Department of Corrections for felony assault on a minor and has completed a term in Montana Women’s Prison.

Frank Knowles was convicted of felony assault on a minor, but the Montana Supreme Court, citing prosecutorial vindictiveness, ordered a new trial. Knowles eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor partner or family member assault.

Cheryl Liedle, sheriff at the time, retired in 2008. Weisner retired as a full-time deputy in 2012 and remains a reserve deputy.

David Kim Wilson, a lawyer for the boys, declined comment, citing the ongoing litigation and confidentiality of the children. Maureen Lennon, an attorney with the Montana Association of Counties, also declined comment.”
County insurer paying $200,000 in foster children abuse case

[Independent Record 8/15/13 by Sanjay Talwani]