Connor B. ex rel. Vigurs v. Patrick

272 F.R.D. 288, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19217, 2011 WL 693223
District Court, D. Massachusetts·Decided February 28, 2011·No. C.A. No. 10-cv-30073-MAP·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO CERTIFY CLASS AND APPOINT CLASS COUNSEL

PONSOR, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs bring this proposed class action on behalf of all children who have been (or will be) placed in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (“DCF”) as a result of a state juvenile court order adjudicating them in need of “care and protection” due to abuse or neglect by their parents. Plaintiffs challenge certain facets of the foster care system in Massachusetts and seek injunctive relief under provisions of the United States Constitution and under the federal Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. § 670 et seq. (“AACWA”).

On January 4, 2011, this court denied Defendants’ motions to dismiss. Presently before the court is Plaintiffs’ motion to certify class and appoint class counsel (Dkt. No. 2). For the reasons discussed below, Plaintiffs’ motion will be allowed.

II. FACTS

Plaintiffs seek certification of a class that consists of “all children who are now or will be in the foster care custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families as a result of abuse or neglect.” The six named Plaintiffs — Connor B., Adam S., Ca-mila R., Andre S., Seth T., and Rakeem D.— allege that they suffered various forms of harm while in DCF custody as a result of systemic failures. These harms are briefly detailed below.

Connor B. Plaintiffs allege that DCF moved Connor B. (nine years old) through seven foster care placements; placed him in inappropriate foster homes, including one in which he was sexually abused; failed to provide him with needed therapy; failed to provide staff at one placement with documentation of Connor’s history or medication needs; failed to place him in a residential treatment program in disregard of clinical recommendations that he needed such a program; and failed to take the necessary steps to free him for adoption or to secure a permanent placement for him. (Compl. ¶¶ 15-34.)

Adam S. Plaintiffs allege that DCF failed to secure safe placements for Adam S. (sixteen years old) and moved him through at least five placements, including an initial placement with adoptive parents who physically abused him (leading to the surrender of their parental rights); placed him in two residential centers that did not meet his needs, including one in which he was beaten by other residents as part of a “fight club” orchestrated by staff; failed to find a permanent home for him; and failed to prepare him to live independently. (Compl. ¶¶35-56.)

Camila R. Plaintiffs allege that DCF moved Camila R. (thirteen years old) through at least eleven placements, which included being returned at one point to her mother despite earlier physical abuse by her mother; failed to ensure that Camila received necessary therapy for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder; failed to timely assess her educational needs; and failed to seek placement with kin or to secure a permanent placement for her. (Compl. ¶¶ 57-78.)

Andre S. Plaintiffs allege that DCF moved Andre S. (fifteen years old) among six placements that did not meet his needs, including one kinship foster home in which he may have been sexually abused; failed to take actions necessary to preserve his relationship with family members; inappropriately placed him in a residential treatment program, where he lived for five years; failed to ensure that he receive an evaluation for sexual abuse; and failed to secure a permanent placement for him despite his be[292]*292ing in custody since he was three years old. (Compl. ¶¶ 79-97.)

Seth T. Plaintiffs allege that DCF moved Seth T. (thirteen years old) through multiple placements; failed to secure a permanent placement for him, initially assigning him a goal of long-term substitute care rather than adoption even though the rights of his biological parents had been terminated; and failed to take necessary steps to preserve Seth’s relationship with his brother. (Compl. ¶¶ 98-110.)

Rakeem D. Plaintiffs allege that DCF moved Rakeem D. (fifteen years old) among at least eight placements that did not meet his needs; failed to provide him with a kinship placement despite his expressed desire to be placed with family members; placed him in a group facility some distance from his family members; and failed to meet his educational needs. (Compl. ¶¶ 111-133.)

Plaintiffs allege that these named Plaintiffs are only six of approximately 8,500 children in DCF custody who are exposed to potential harm as a result of systemic deficiencies within DCF, including failure to maintain an adequately staffed and appropriately trained child welfare workforce; failure to properly manage foster care placements; failure to properly develop and implement case plans and service plans for foster children and their families; and failure to access available federal funding. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶¶ 215-298.)

III. DISCUSSION

Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a) authorizes suit by one or more representative parties on behalf of a class only if: (1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to the class; (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class. In addition, to obtain class certification Plaintiffs must show that they satisfy one of the additional requirements imposed by Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b). Plaintiffs here move under Rule 23(b)(2), which requires a demonstration that “the party opposing the class has acted or refused to act on grounds that apply generally to the class, so that final injunctive relief or corresponding declaratory relief is appropriate respecting the class as a whole.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(2).

A. Numerosity.

To satisfy this 'first element, Plaintiffs must overcome a relatively “low threshold,” which does not impose a precise numerical requirement. Garcia-Rubiera v. Calderon, 570 F.3d 443, 460 (1st Cir.2009). Generally, classes of forty or more are considered sufficiently numerous under Rule 23(a)(1). See, e.g., DeRosa v. Mass. Bay Commuter Rail Co., 694 F.Supp.2d 87, 98 (D.Mass.2010) (certifying class of approximately 110 members).

Here, the putative class comprises approximately 8,500 children in DCF custody who have suffered harm and/or are exposed to harm as a result of the systemic failures alleged in the complaint. Although Defendants do not concede that Plaintiffs have satisfied this element, the focus of their challenge lies elsewhere.

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Connor B. ex rel. Vigurs v. Patrick, 272 F.R.D. 288, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19217, 2011 WL 693223 (D. Mass. 2011).

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