Kentucky Whistleblower Awarded $2 Million After Retaliation Over Agency’s Child Cases

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A jury has found in favor of a state social worker who filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming he was mistreated by supervisors after reporting problems with dozens of child abuse cases.

Jurors in Boone County Circuit Court awarded Tim Williams $2 million in damages after a trial this month, the Courier Journal reported.

The lawsuit said Williams experienced retaliation and harassment from Kentucky’s social services agency after he reported concerns in 2015 about 93 cases of alleged child abuse or neglect had been misplaced and not investigated for months.

Williams said he was grateful for the verdict.

“All 12 jurors heard the evidence,” Williams said. “All 12 believed it happened.”

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which includes social services, said in a statement that officials disagree with the verdict and are reviewing legal options.

“While the lawsuit alleges events that occurred during a prior administration, we are committed to supporting our employees and residents in the communities we serve,” the statement provided by spokeswoman Susan Dunlap said.

Williams’ allegations, detailed in a 2015 letter to top officials at the cabinet, said the 93 misplaced cases included reports of children present at fatal drug overdoses, young children locked out of their home searching for food and shelter at an apartment complex and lack of follow-up for newborns with drugs in their system.

He cited “atrocious” employee turnover and a backlog of more than 1,000 cases considered past deadline because of staff shortages.

Kelly Wiley, Williams’ lawyer, said the retaliation included incessant harassment by supervisors who focused on silencing him rather than looking to the needs of children, including those affected after 93 cases of alleged neglect or abuse were misplaced.

Kentucky lawmakers earlier this year provided raises to most state workers, including social workers, after rejecting Beshear’s request that they provide higher salaries for social services staff in the two previous budgets.