By Taylor Stuck The Herald-Dispatch
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleging that West Virginia is violating the constitutional rights of foster children will cost the state millions to defend, Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch said.
“The lawsuit that was filed today will cost the State of West Virginia millions of dollars and was filed by a company that has never contacted us to ask the question: ‘What are you doing to fix these problems?’ We welcome the opportunity to make our case in court,” Crouch said in a statement.
Twelve children in the state’s foster care system, ranging from ages 2 to 17, are named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by A Better Childhood, a national advocacy group for children, Disability Rights West Virginia, a statewide disability rights organization, and Shaffer & Shaffer PLLC, a state law firm. …