FL S0032

Appropriates $3.8 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to compensate L.E., a child who suffered catastrophic injuries due to the department's negligence, as part of a total $4 million settlement ($200,000 was previously paid under sovereign immunity limits)

L.E., born July 29, 2019, was placed into her parents' care by DCF on August 21, 2019, despite a "present danger" finding and extensive documented history of abuse, violence, substance misuse, and at least 20 prior child abuse hotline reports involving the parents

DCF closed its investigation on September 24, 2019, while acknowledging the home remained "volatile and unstable," and the next day L.E. was hospitalized with catastrophic injuries including skull fracture, subdural hematoma, multiple rib fractures, and was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome causing traumatic brain injury, seizures, and cerebral palsy

Payment is directed to an irrevocable trust created for L.E.'s exclusive benefit; L.E. was subsequently adopted by her maternal grandmother and relocated to Chicago, where she requires lifelong care, monitoring, and multiple therapies

Attorney fees related to the claim against the department are capped at 25 percent of the total amount awarded under the act