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Stacie Schmerling Discusses Negligent Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect Justin Grosz Discusses Human Trafficking Results & verdicts Governor Scott Signs $5 Million Claims Bill for Child Sexually Abused by Foster Boy Living in the Home On Friday, March 23, 2018, Governor Rick Scott signed CS/HB 6509, a claims bill that directs the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to pay more than $5 million awarded by a Florida jury to C.M.H., a victim of sexual abuse by a child in foster care. This marks the largest known recovery in… View Article
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Law Firm for Eight Abused Former Foster Care Children Settle With NYC, Child Care Agencies for $26 Million Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. Eight developmentally foster care children who were placed in what one judge called a “house of horrors” foster… View Article
Read Full Article
Florida DCF Hit With $5 Million Verdict in Child-On-Child Sex Abuse Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. In 2013 a Palm Beach County jury returned a $5 million verdict against the Florida Department of Children… View Article
Read Full Article
School Settles Violent Child-On-Child Rape Claim for $4 Million At the eve of trial, attorney Howard Talenfeld successfully negotiated a $4 million settlement on behalf of a child repeatedly raped in a residential facility. Administrators at the center were ignorant of systemic abuse, repeated reports by and from state officials, and even the admission of the child aggressor. This case was successfully concluded after… View Article
Read Full Article
South Florida Jet Ski Tragedy Settles Confidentially AD was tragically killed while riding a jet ski on a lake in Miami. He was only 15 years old. Justin Grosz, through an investigation on behalf of AD’s parents, discovered that the events which led to his death actually started in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, over 15 years earlier. An Australian pine tree,… View Article
Read Full Article
$10 million Dollar Verdict Upheld on Appeal for Young Apprentice Jockey (Miami) David Ashcroft, a 20-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered catastrophic injuries when his horse veered across the racecourse toward a negligently placed exit gap, which caused his horse to attempt to leave the track. Ashcroft lost control of the horse and fell to the ground where he was run over by another horse, rendering him a quadriplegic…. View Article
Read Full Article
more results & verdicts At Justice for Kids®, We Fight for Kids Justice for Kids®, a division of Kelley Kronenberg, is a unique law practice dedicated to providing legal services to protect abused, disabled and injured children in foster care and other child welfare settings in personal injury and damages cases. We also represent children that are sexually abused and victims of sex trafficking.
Justice for Kids was founded by Howard Talenfeld, one of the nation’s preeminent children’s rights attorneys. For more than 25 years, Howard and his team have represented at-risk and foster care children and the developmentally disabled who are victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in damages cases and personal injury claims.
Justice for Kids Partner and Co-Business Unit Leader Stacie Schmerling is a veteran child abuse case worker and investigator who has 10 years of experience working in the child welfare systems in New Jersey and Florida, and has worked alongside Howard since 2008. Firm Partner and Co-Business Unit Leader Justin D. Grosz is a 25-year veteran trial lawyer and former Assistant State Attorney who focuses his practice on child safety, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and civil rights.
Our team of attorneys, which recently joined forces with Kelley Kronenberg, has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for abused and injured children.
Our attorneys have avoided state sovereign immunity damages caps and limits through the creative application of federal law to seek novel and successful results for children and their families. We have prevailed in individual cases, class-action lawsuits, federal civil rights claims and negligence claims on behalf of children abused, disabled and injured while under the care of state agencies and their contracted care providers in all settings, including foster homes, group homes, emergency shelters, residential treatment centers, and at home with their parents.
The firm also provides life care planning guidance to those children permanently harmed who have been awarded damages from lawsuits or settlements with government agencies and their privately contracted care providers.
The attorneys at Justice for Kids have a long legacy of public service and pro bono involvement. In 2014, Howard Talenfeld, who is the founding president of Florida’s Children First, co-chaired Citizens for Broward’s Children, the political action committee that fought for and successfully obtained the re-authorization of Broward County Children’s Services Council.
Our insight, experience and impassioned pursuit of damages claims helps ensure our clients’ rights and futures are protected. At Justice for Kids, our singular mission is to protect the rights of Florida’s most vulnerable children.
About Kelley Kronenberg: Kelley Kronenberg is a multi-practice business law firm with nearly 400 employees, more than 175 attorneys and 12 locations throughout Florida and the United States. Founded in 1980, the firm is one of the fastest-growing law firms in Florida and amongst the largest in the U.S. The firm serves all types and sizes of public and private companies, including small businesses and individuals nationwide.
844-4KIDLAW (844-454-3529) TOLL FREE
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Justice For Kids News & Blog Welcome to the Justice For Kids Blog Thousands of foster children, former foster children, developmentally disabled and medically fragile children are part of the Florida child care system. If you’re currently or formerly a child in – or an advocate for or parent of a child in the foster care system – the Justice for Kids blog is here to help. Every… View Article
Read Full Article
Holly Hill man accused of repeatedly abusing foster children to remain in jail, judge rules A Holly Hill man accused of repeatedly abusing at least four foster children will remain in jail without bond, a judge ruled on Monday. Lawrence Henry Williams, 50, was arrested last week on one count of sexual battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. According to the state attorney’s office, he was… View Article
Read Full Article
A baby died in foster care in Marion. Now two social service agencies face negligence case. Stacie Schmerling and Lisa Elliott of Kelley Kronenberg’s Justice for Kids Division have filed a lawsuit against two social service agencies on behalf of the estate of an infant who died while in foster care in Marion County. Read more in this article from the Ocala StarBanner here.
Read Full Article
In lawsuits, Turpin siblings say foster parents beat them, forced them to eat vomit As reported by the Desert Sun, “Six of the Turpin siblings have filed lawsuits against Riverside County and a foster care provider, saying they faced further abuse after being rescued from decades of confinement and malnourishment at the hands of their parents.” Read more here.
Read Full Article
Distraught parents still waiting for answers from Homestead daycare after death of 9-month-old son Another tragic daycare death from overheating raises questions about daycare‘s negligence. Read more from WPLG Local 10 here.
Read Full Article
more posts home
Stacie Schmerling Discusses Negligent Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect Justin Grosz Discusses Human Trafficking Results & verdicts Governor Scott Signs $5 Million Claims Bill for Child Sexually Abused by Foster Boy Living in the Home On Friday, March 23, 2018, Governor Rick Scott signed CS/HB 6509, a claims bill that directs the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to pay more than $5 million awarded by a Florida jury to C.M.H., a victim of sexual abuse by a child in foster care. This marks the largest known recovery in… View Article
Read Full Article
Law Firm for Eight Abused Former Foster Care Children Settle With NYC, Child Care Agencies for $26 Million Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. Eight developmentally foster care children who were placed in what one judge called a “house of horrors” foster… View Article
Read Full Article
Florida DCF Hit With $5 Million Verdict in Child-On-Child Sex Abuse Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. In 2013 a Palm Beach County jury returned a $5 million verdict against the Florida Department of Children… View Article
Read Full Article
School Settles Violent Child-On-Child Rape Claim for $4 Million At the eve of trial, attorney Howard Talenfeld successfully negotiated a $4 million settlement on behalf of a child repeatedly raped in a residential facility. Administrators at the center were ignorant of systemic abuse, repeated reports by and from state officials, and even the admission of the child aggressor. This case was successfully concluded after… View Article
Read Full Article
South Florida Jet Ski Tragedy Settles Confidentially AD was tragically killed while riding a jet ski on a lake in Miami. He was only 15 years old. Justin Grosz, through an investigation on behalf of AD’s parents, discovered that the events which led to his death actually started in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, over 15 years earlier. An Australian pine tree,… View Article
Read Full Article
$10 million Dollar Verdict Upheld on Appeal for Young Apprentice Jockey (Miami) David Ashcroft, a 20-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered catastrophic injuries when his horse veered across the racecourse toward a negligently placed exit gap, which caused his horse to attempt to leave the track. Ashcroft lost control of the horse and fell to the ground where he was run over by another horse, rendering him a quadriplegic…. View Article
Read Full Article
more results & verdicts Justice For Kids News & Blog Welcome to the Justice For Kids Blog Thousands of foster children, former foster children, developmentally disabled and medically fragile children are part of the Florida child care system. If you’re currently or formerly a child in – or an advocate for or parent of a child in the foster care system – the Justice for Kids blog is here to help. Every… View Article
Read Full Article
Holly Hill man accused of repeatedly abusing foster children to remain in jail, judge rules A Holly Hill man accused of repeatedly abusing at least four foster children will remain in jail without bond, a judge ruled on Monday. Lawrence Henry Williams, 50, was arrested last week on one count of sexual battery and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. According to the state attorney’s office, he was… View Article
Read Full Article
A baby died in foster care in Marion. Now two social service agencies face negligence case. Stacie Schmerling and Lisa Elliott of Kelley Kronenberg’s Justice for Kids Division have filed a lawsuit against two social service agencies on behalf of the estate of an infant who died while in foster care in Marion County. Read more in this article from the Ocala StarBanner here.
Read Full Article
In lawsuits, Turpin siblings say foster parents beat them, forced them to eat vomit As reported by the Desert Sun, “Six of the Turpin siblings have filed lawsuits against Riverside County and a foster care provider, saying they faced further abuse after being rescued from decades of confinement and malnourishment at the hands of their parents.” Read more here.
Read Full Article
Distraught parents still waiting for answers from Homestead daycare after death of 9-month-old son Another tragic daycare death from overheating raises questions about daycare‘s negligence. Read more from WPLG Local 10 here.
Read Full Article
more posts home
Stacie Schmerling Discusses Negligent Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect Justin Grosz Discusses Human Trafficking Results & verdicts Governor Scott Signs $5 Million Claims Bill for Child Sexually Abused by Foster Boy Living in the Home On Friday, March 23, 2018, Governor Rick Scott signed CS/HB 6509, a claims bill that directs the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to pay more than $5 million awarded by a Florida jury to C.M.H., a victim of sexual abuse by a child in foster care. This marks the largest known recovery in… View Article
Read Full Article
Law Firm for Eight Abused Former Foster Care Children Settle With NYC, Child Care Agencies for $26 Million Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. Eight developmentally foster care children who were placed in what one judge called a “house of horrors” foster… View Article
Read Full Article
Florida DCF Hit With $5 Million Verdict in Child-On-Child Sex Abuse Disclaimer: Most cases result in a lower recovery. Results may not be typical and reflect awards before deduction for attorneys’ fees and expenses. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result. In 2013 a Palm Beach County jury returned a $5 million verdict against the Florida Department of Children… View Article
Read Full Article
School Settles Violent Child-On-Child Rape Claim for $4 Million At the eve of trial, attorney Howard Talenfeld successfully negotiated a $4 million settlement on behalf of a child repeatedly raped in a residential facility. Administrators at the center were ignorant of systemic abuse, repeated reports by and from state officials, and even the admission of the child aggressor. This case was successfully concluded after… View Article
Read Full Article
South Florida Jet Ski Tragedy Settles Confidentially AD was tragically killed while riding a jet ski on a lake in Miami. He was only 15 years old. Justin Grosz, through an investigation on behalf of AD’s parents, discovered that the events which led to his death actually started in the wake of Hurricane Andrew, over 15 years earlier. An Australian pine tree,… View Article
Read Full Article
$10 million Dollar Verdict Upheld on Appeal for Young Apprentice Jockey (Miami) David Ashcroft, a 20-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered catastrophic injuries when his horse veered across the racecourse toward a negligently placed exit gap, which caused his horse to attempt to leave the track. Ashcroft lost control of the horse and fell to the ground where he was run over by another horse, rendering him a quadriplegic…. View Article
Read Full Article
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