CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia wants a judge to dismiss a federal lawsuit alleging the state’s overwhelmed foster care system has failed to protect children.
The state on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss the class-action case brought by nonprofit advocacy groups and a law firm on behalf of a dozen children.
Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary Bill Crouch says the state has made and continues to make substantive changes to its system.
West Virginia’s foster ranks have swelled to about 7,000 children as the state grapples with the opioid crisis.
The lawsuit describes stories of alleged neglect and harm done to foster children in DHHR’s care. Marcia Lowry, executive director of the nonprofit A Better Childhood, says the state isn’t doing enough to deal with problems in its foster system.
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