EXCLUSIVE: Girl in city-contracted foster home was repeatedly molested, then blamed for 'acting out,' new lawsuit alleges
BY VICTORIA BEKIEMPIS NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 6:56 PM
A woman who claims she was repeatedly molested while under the care of city-contracted foster home is seeking $18 million in damages.
A girl under the care of a city-contracted foster home provider was repeatedly molested in her household — and then blamed for "acting out" when she complained about sexual abuse, a new Manhattan federal lawsuit alleges.
The victim, who is now 20 and whose name is not listed in the civil complaint, was removed from her birth home when she was 2-years-old.
Abbott House, a foster care organization that receives some $50 million in public funds, was charged with taking care of her, the lawsuit claims.
When she was 8 years old, the woman complained to her school about her foster mom's alleged physical abuse. An Administration for Children's Services staffer investigated but didn't permanently remove the girl from the home, the lawsuit charges.
She was sent to therapy at Arista Center for Psychotherapy, Inc., and the foster mom whom she alleged assaulted her attended the sessions
Her foster mom's teenage son started molesting her around age 9, and the abuse came to include years of "oral sex and penetration," the suit states. Several years after the abuse began, she was sent back to the same therapist, who blamed her for the molestation, claiming she was "acting out."
Arista staffers wrongly described her behavior as "giving oral sex to an older boy" and "treated her for shame instead of seeking to treat here and protect her from the sexual abuse traumatization," the suit says.
Arista had a legal obligation to tell an independent entity about the girl's allegations, but only "cooperated with Abbott House and treated the minor 10-year-old child for years for her guilt instead of investigating the causes and making sure there was a safe foster home setting."
The lawsuit also alleges that Abbott House has a history of providing abusive foster homes — but that the organization and city turn a blind eye to them.
Bruce Young, the woman's lawyer, said the case reveals the need for more oversight in foster homes.
"We trust and presume they're helping troubled children," Young said. "But that presumption — that they're safe — needs greater scrutiny."
The woman is seeking $18 million in damages.
A Law Department spokesman said "We will review the complaint."
Neither Abbott House nor Arista returned calls for comment.
