Lawsuit: Lifespan Family Services

“A Clearfield County corporation, Lifespan Family Services, that recruits, trains and supervises foster parents, has filed a petition with the U.S. District Court in Johnstown seeking dismissal from a lawsuit that was filed in November accusing it, and Clearfield County Children and Youth Services, of concealing the background of an older foster child with a history of predatory behavior.”

As a teenager, the child was placed with a Clearfield family which included four very young children, and, according to the lawsuit filed by the family, he began “abusing and corrupting” the younger members of the family.

Also included in the abuse was a fifth very young child (5 years old) who was placed in the home by CYS as a possible adoptee just this last summer.”

“They claimed in retaliation for their grievance, the 5 year old who had been placed with them as a possible adoptee was “torn” from the home.

CYS also took action to maintain the older foster child in the Doe home by imposing a 60-day “safety plan” to be implemented by the foster parents.

The parents then filed a civil rights lawsuit seeking damages against Clearfield County, the county’s child welfare agency and Lifespan Family Services of DuBois.

The lawsuit, which was assigned to U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines, also named as defendants six CYS employees and one Lifespan employee.

It charges the defendants with due process violations for concealing the predatory history of the older foster child.

The parents charged the defendants with First Amendment Retaliation for imposing a 60-day safety plan and forcing them to retain the older child.

The lawsuit was also critical of CYS practices that, for instance, conceal the abuse history of the older child “to promote adoptions.”

Lifespan was a defendant in the lawsuit for alleged: “non-disclosure of known danger posed by placed children; inaction to reduce risks of abuse in foster homes and for failing to intervene when CYS retaliates against reporting families.”

Clearfield attorney Ben Richle filed the lawsuit on behalf of the foster family.

DuBois attorney Fabio Fortunato filed a petition earlier this week seeking dismissal of the lawsuit against Lifespan and one of its employees.

In Lifespan’s petition to dismiss, Fortunato stated that none of the alleged unconstitutional actions outlined in the lawsuit — placement of the older child in the foster care home; concealment of information about his past; the imposition of a safety plan; and the removal of the young child from the home — were attributed to Lifespan or its employee.

The petition stated, “These allegations concern Clearfield County Children and Youth Services and its employees, not defendants LSFS and (the Lifespan employee).”

The legal complaint by the parents alleges no accusation that Lifespan created or increased any risk of harm to the family, according to the Lifespan petition.

The removal of the young child from the home “was allegedly carried out by CYS alone,” the petition stated.

The parents’ claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress on the family also is not attributed to any actions by Lifespan, it continued.

The Lifespan petition requests all complaints against the agency be dismissed.

The petition was filed because the matter “was unable to be resolved through substantial verbal communications,” according to the attorney.

It will be up to Haines to decide if the civil complaints against Lifespan will move forward.

The family indicated that, over the last few years, it has hosted 16 foster children.”

Clearfield County firm seeks to be removed from foster parents’ suit
[Altoona Mirror 12/20/25 by Phil Ray]

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