The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services will pay $9 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged sexual and physical abuse in her foster home between 1997 and 2004 while the state failed to investigate warning signs.
Ashley Miller alleged that DSHS ignored multiple red flags including lapsed communication, extended school absences, and an unidentified adult living in the home before allowing her foster mother to pursue adoption.
Miller stated she experienced abuse before entering foster care and believed placement would provide safety. Instead, she encountered what she described as another abusive environment.
“It was scary as a kid growing up around horrible people,” Miller said. “The sexual abuse, the constant sexual abuse, that affected me, even to have a normal relationship.”
The lawsuit alleges Miller was sexually abused by her foster mother’s live-in boyfriend, who had not undergone required DSHS background checks. Miller’s foster mother initially denied he lived with her, though the department later received direct reports confirming his presence.
The man had multiple disqualifying criminal convictions including drug trafficking and domestic violence that, if discovered through background checks, would have triggered Miller’s removal from the home, according to the lawsuit.
“It was glaring, glaring red flags and bad decision-making by the department,” said Vincent Nappo of Pfau Cochran, representing Miller. “On top of that, they failed to do the legally required safety protocols.”
The lawsuit alleges Miller’s foster mother frequently moved without notifying DSHS and failed to send Miller to school for 38 days in first grade, 50 days in second grade, and 30 days in third grade. Despite this pattern and concerns raised by teachers, a social worker reported Miller was “progressing in school.”
DSHS endorsed the foster mother’s adoption petition despite documented instability and neglect. Lawyers cited DSHS records showing social workers expressed frustration, suspicion, and exhaustion with Miller’s foster mother, yet the adoption proceeded.
Miller urged current foster care workers to prioritize children’s welfare. “Don’t just treat it like a job,” she said. “If you’re going to have that title, then actually make an impact and a change for these kids.”
She also addressed children facing abuse: “You matter, and no matter what situation you’re in, just don’t give up.”
“The reasoning of me wanting to speak out and tell my story is to inspire others, because I’m not the only one they failed,” Miller said.
DSHS and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The settlement highlights ongoing concerns about foster care oversight in Washington state and the consequences when mandatory safety protocols are not followed.
