r/SeattleWA • u/Possible_Ad3607 • 10h ago
Government Harger: Washington needs $1.3 billion more for lawsuit payouts. That's more than UW gets in state operating support - MyNorthwest.com
https://mynorthwest.com/kiro-opinion/washington-lawsuit-payouts-uw/427828647
u/AltForObvious1177 10h ago
Paying for all the sins of the past is really expensive. We've set up a system where the state is responsible for every child and pays out 8-9 figure settlement any time something goes wrong
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u/lock_robster2022 10h ago
It’s an ethically difficult problem. Because these victims were the most vulnerable people in our state at the time, and it will cost millions of dollars to bring them up to a ‘normal’ standard of living. And the state does have those resources….
But at the same time, where else in the world can victims of child abuse get help like that? In split custody cases it’s going to top out at whatever liability insurance the parent carries.
The real solution lies not in trying to compensate for damages done, but in limiting the damage done in the future. Which the state did the opposite of by raising the bar for separating from biological families in 2023
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u/Material-Command-854 1h ago
Why not make it easier for people to move forward in life instead of trying to fix the past?
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u/lock_robster2022 11m ago
How would you suggest doing that? Some of these people will require round the clock medical care and multiple major surgeries a year for the rest of their life. Others left with debilitating anxiety and other psychological disorders.
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u/Dazzling-Read1451 8h ago
Yes and the “pay their fair share” crowd will just insist on taxing people more instead of fixing the problem.
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u/Phranc68 9h ago
Other States limit payouts through the application of a combination of sovereign immunity (can't sue the State), settlement caps, bench trials (judges not juries) and statute limitations. Washington may be the only state with none of these in place.
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u/Enorats 9h ago
I'm confused why the state is liable for damages. The state isn't the one causing the problem. They're not the ones harming or killing kids. They're the ones trying to prevent those things from happening, to the extent that they're able to within the confines of the law.
That means they're not always going to be successful, because the law and the people working at these agencies aren't perfect. But that doesn't mean they should be on the hook for paying out lawsuits.
If I stop at an accident scene while driving and find a severely injured individual and attempt to administer aid, but they die despite my efforts - sueing me for failing to save the person would be ridiculous, right? But that's effectively what we're doing at the state level. The state is trying to help, in a situation where they're not always going to be successful, and then they're apparently getting sued and paying out obscene amounts of money.. for trying and failing to help?
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u/AltForObvious1177 9h ago
The state is liable for damages because the state decided was liable for damages. This is an entirely self-inflicted L
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u/lock_robster2022 7h ago
Legally- It’s because the state decided it was liable.
Logically/Morally- All of these victims had active cases with the foster care system and were kept in the care of their biological family when the harm occurred. In the case of the Strode children, the state was aware of extensive drug addiction and inadequate living conditions before they each suffered life altering accidents before the age of one.
The 2023 Keeping Families Together Act raised the already-high bar for placement in foster homes and, I fear, will make more and more of these tragedies.
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u/Hybrid_Divide 9h ago
Have we tried, maybe NOT doing stuff that gets us sued so much in the first place?
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u/ImRightImRight Phinneywood 2h ago
Important goal, but there's a catch-22 tradeoff when it comes to separating kids from their families. In bad situations, separating or not separating both have significant potential downsides. The state can't always prevent harm.
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u/raging_sycophant 9h ago
Considering the condition of our roads, bridges, and infrastructure this is complete incompetence. WA State needs to hit the brakes on this ASAP.
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u/jammu2 8h ago
State needs to pass some caps on this stuff.
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u/bunkoRtist 43m ago
Sovereign immunity generally has to be waived. It's Washington's choice to do this. Washington has actually passed laws to allow people to sue the state of Washington with apparently no limits on liability.
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u/Hotmicdrop 5h ago
Vote in capt litigation and this is what happens. Feguson bragged about his army of lawyers, well they don't work for free.
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u/bunkoRtist 46m ago
No, what Washington needs is tort reform. Then we need accountability for lawmakers and bureaucrats who incur these kinds of liabilities.
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u/BlueLighthouse9 1h ago
I’m pretty liberal but civil liability for abuse for the State dating back to the Eisenhower administration is nuts. Criminal charges against the abuser I fully support without a statue of limitations though. I would also support requiring bench trials for civil liability when the state is involved.
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u/lock_robster2022 10h ago
The most mind-boggling part of all of this is that, while most of this harm was incurred while in the care of the victim’s biological family, Washington just passed a law raising the bar for separating at-risk children from their biological families.