Turpin child abuse survivors file suit against Riverside County and foster care agency
Six of the 13 Turpin family children have filed a lawsuit against Riverside County. They escaped their abusive parent's Perris home in western Riverside County in 2018.
“Our clients are telling us that what happened in this foster family, in many instances was worse,” said Elan Zektser, attorney with Oakwood Legal Group, representing the Turpin siblings.
The children's lawsuit names the county and the foster care agency that housed them after their rescue.
“I was sitting down with one of my clients. And I asked her, I said, you know, what do you want to happen here," Zektser said. “She looked at me and she said, 'I don't want any other kids going through what I went through.'"
The children allege they suffered "severe abuse and neglect" for years after escaping their parent's home. The younger children say they experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by their foster family.
“They have these incredible acts of bravery to escape from their biological parents, only to go right back into the hands of other people who were also willing to abuse them and mistreat them. And it's just a nightmare for them,” said Carly Sanchez, an attorney with Booth Law, representing the Turpin siblings.
The suit says they believe officials charged with overseeing that care failed to report the abuse for three years even when warned about that abuse.
“The children were forced to eat everything that was on their plate, no matter the size of the portion size, to the point where some of them vomited. And then were forced to continue eating even though they had vomited, and in some instances forced to consume their own vomit.”
- Carly Sanchez Attorney with Booth Law
Some of the siblings accuse their former foster father of "grabbing and fondling" them and "kissing them on the mouth."
We deeply care about the safety and wellbeing of every single child under our care. Our hearts go out to the Turpin siblings. Any instance when a child is harmed is heartbreaking. We continue to evaluate our practices with a critical eye and are committed to understanding and addressing the root cause. This includes expanding the availability of quality and safe placements for all children in foster care.
- Statement from the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services
Once Riverside County receives a lawsuit, it is thoroughly reviewed to determine next steps. The county does not comment on pending legal matters or specific juvenile cases due to confidentiality laws.
The legal action follows a scathing report on the Turpin siblings' care issued by the county.
According to the complaints filed electronically overnight, Riverside County and its contractor ChildNet knew that the foster family the Turpin siblings were placed with was "unfit to be foster parents because they had a prior history of abusing and neglecting children who had been placed in their care."
“They learned while the Turpins were there, that there was abuse and neglect, and they did nothing. Now we've we've in our investigation, we've learned that some employees of Childnet attempted to get this out. They went up the chain, and despite that nothing was done,” Zektser said.
Today, four of the 13 siblings are still in foster care, and now together and safe in a new home, according to Roger Booth, the attorney representing the four youngest siblings.
“No amount of money can make up for what they've been through and no amount of money is worth what they've been through," Sanchez said.
David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts in 2019 and were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.
