Summary judgment or summary disposition is a mechanism that permits parties in a lawsuit to obtain a court ruling before trial regarding certain elements of that case. It is designed for situations in which the court ...

Prior lawsuits and data kept by child welfare departments contain clues regarding what types of foster children were abused or were abusive in specific kinds of placements. Using this knowledge could help ensure safer ...

Victims of sexual abuse are litigating. Among the most prominent defendants are schools, medical professionals, entertainment industry tycoons, politicians, coaches, and clergy. Often, if the case ...

Of the legal theories pursued against state departments of human services and their child welfare agencies,1 “failure to train” theories are often pled but rarely prevail. The theory is often raised in boilerplate ...

Attorneys who represent group homes face many challenging situ-ations. For attorneys who represent children or families in litigation against group homes, many issues may arise. When defending a group home in litigation, ...

Data shows child maltreatment reports are higher in rural than urban areas. This suggests rural practitioners may be more likely to encounter children who are victims of maltreatment. This is true regardless of ...

State child welfare agencies are facing increasing accountability of their performance. Private foundations and other organizations have issued report cards on the well-being of a state’s children and its children’s services. ...

Because these organizations tend to have unique and diverse coverage needs, insurance for human service corporations is considered a specialty area. The traditional tripartite relationship between the insurance company, ...