WA pays $80M in child welfare lawsuit involving injured siblings

The state's child welfare agency will pay $80 million to settle lawsuits filed on behalf of two children alleging they were negligently left in the care of their biological parents by state caseworkers.

The payments to the two children, who have now been adopted by a Lakewood family, are the largest and second-largest pretrial settlements ever paid by the Department of Children, Youth and Families to individuals. The settlements are a result of lawsuits filed on behalf of Bubby Leo" Strode and his younger sister, Matilda Strode, who both endured life-altering injuries while in the care of their biological parents, despite reports of abuse and neglect to the state.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Nick Brown's office said in an email that they "generally defer to our state agency clients for comments in these matters." A DCYF spokesperson said Wednesday the department had "no comment" about the settlements.

DCYF did not admit wrongdoing in either case as part of the settlements.

The state agreed to settle Bubby's claims for $45 million and Matilda's for $34 million. An additional $500,000 will be paid to each of their parents, David and Sarah Strode, who adopted the children.

Bubby Strode, 6, was injured as an infant when a space heater hanging precariously above his crib caught fire, nearly killing him. At the time, Bubby was in the custody of his biological parents, who had been reported to Child Protective Services repeatedly. The department allegedly failed to adequately investigate his living situation, according to the lawsuits, and negligently left Bubby in their care.

One CPS caller reported Bubby lived in a "shed" with a space heater precariously hanging above his crib wrapped around the rafters. When Bubby was 9 months old, the shed caught fire. He sustained several amputations and third- and fourth-degree burns.

The Strodes allege that 4-year-old Matilda was also left in the temporary care of her neglectful parents despite the state's knowledge of a court order prohibiting them from being alone with her. The department had already determined leaving Matilda with her biological parents could lead to "substantial harm" and placed her in her grandmother's care, according to the lawsuit.

The grandmother, according to the lawsuit, was not told about a court order prohibiting Matilda from being left alone with her biological parents. The grandmother left her with the parents one night, and Matilda was suffocated while in bed. She suffered brain injuries from oxygen deprivation. She is legally blind and deaf and cannot breathe independently. She will likely require medical supervision for the rest of her life.

Last year, the family sued the state and the caseworkers who handled Bubby's and Matilda's cases in state and federal court, respectively, alleging the department and its agents were grossly negligent. All four claims are dismissed as a result of the settlements.

The Pierce County Superior Court established special needs trusts for each of the children, both of whom will continue to require surgeries and complex medical care. Per an agreement with the family's attorney, 40% of the fees will go to the law firm.

David P. Moody, an attorney for the Strodes, said in a phone interview Wednesday that the state "dug its heels in" and continued to deny their claims during negotiations.

"I wonder when the Legislature is going to hold state employees accountable, and I wonder if it won't be until one of our state senators or representatives' loved ones are harmed by DCYF," Moody said. "There's a lot of negligence by DCYF and the state, and a lot of blame-shifting and buck-passing. It doesn't seem like our governor or the Legislature is doing anything proactively to prevent tragedies like this from occurring.

The state government's budgetary woes have been amplified in recent years by a surge in payouts of tort claims and lawsuits, many of the largest stemming from DCYF. The state is self-insured, so such settlement payouts siphon money that could otherwise go to schools, State Patrol officers or social services.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 11:45 PM.