When the state pays out, we the tax payers pay out. But when the system falters, it is up to all of us to make sure that things are made right again in order to retain a culture of accountability through fair punishment and just compensation. The sentiment was carried-on on Friday when in the wrongful death case of Michael Kekoa Ravenell, a bubbly, smiley 3-year old.

Family members noticed that bad things happened whenever Noah Thomas, the mother’s boyfriend, was around.

The boy’s father, Michael Ravenell, said he would find bruises and cuts on his young son and he immediately reported it to Child Protective Services (CPS), a division of Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) dedicated to protecting the well being of those who cannot protect themselves.

Unfortunately, the system failed him, “Every time I tried to call or report a new incident, I didn’t get any feedback,” he said.

The wrongful death lawsuit against the state said Kekoa’s aunt and grandmother also tried to warn CPS about the apparent abuse. But the state neglected to follow up or run a background check on Thomas, so CPS officials had no idea that he’d been convicted of abusing his own children previously and posed a serious threat to the little boy.

In the weeks before Kekoa’s death, his father called Child Protective Services and reported seeing a bruise near the boy’s left eye. Ravenell also noticed changes in the behavior of the boy and his sister.

Just in two months of reporting the abuse, Kekoa was beaten and strangled to death by Thomas, who ultimately admitted hurling Kekoa onto a bed, where his head hit an iron rail.

Then Thomas took a nap while the boy died.

“I didn’t want to believe it. I was telling him to wake up,” says his heartbroken father. “He didn’t wake up.”

Kekoa’s younger sister Chelsea was also a victim of Thomas. She was 1 1/2 years old at the time and suffered a broken jaw by his hand.

Thomas, now 27, pleaded guilty to homicide by abuse and was sentenced last year to 50 years in prison.

In response to the death of his son, Kekoa’s father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the state last year, alleging social workers didn’t fully investigate the allegations of child abuse before the boy’s death. The suit also contended DSHS hadn’t protected Kekoa’s sister, who also was abused. Doctors discovered she had a broken jaw that had been healing for some time after Kekoa’s death.

A state review of the boy’s death found that the social worker assigned to his case had too little experience and missed several steps while investigating the bruising reported by the boy’s father. The social worker involved in Kekoa’s case was fired after his death. Since then, the state says that when an abuse referral comes in, caseworkers evaluate anyone involved in a child’s life.

The state says the $2.1 million settlement fairly compensates the family and that they’ve made significant changes.

“We are really paying more deliberate attention to any adult who has access to the children, even if the person does not live there every day,” Revels Robinson, of DSHS, said. “That was a very critical lesson learned here.”

But it was too late for Kekoa.

“I was hoping that CPS would do the right thing,” Michael Ravenell says.

The lesson here is change. So many abuse cases come from those outside of the family and it is fortunate that now Kekoa’s legacy can save the lives of so many children. Over 100 children have died since 2002 while having some kind of contact with the state. Perhaps now that number can be lowered considerably.

If you or a loved one are killed due to the negligence of a government agency or corporate policy it is extremely important that you find skilled counsel to assure that you get the justice and compensation you deserve. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation on your wrongful death lawsuit.

Learn More About:

• Elements of a Wrongful Death Case
• Time Limitations and Restrictions in Wrongful Death Cases
• Financial Entitlements in Wrongful Death Cases