Massachusetts settles DCF negligence case for $10 million over teen's death
Massachusetts will pay $10 million to resolve claims that the Department of Children and Families failed to protect 14-year-old David Almond, who died of starvation in 2020.
Six years after 14-year-old David Almond died of malnutrition and neglect in a Fall River home, Massachusetts agreed to a $10 million settlement with his estate and his two surviving triplet brothers. The settlement establishes independently managed lifelong special-needs trusts for the brothers, each funded with roughly $2.9 million, and creates two memorial funds through the SouthCoast Community Foundation to support neurodivergent children in foster care and related nonprofit work.
About $3.5 million of the settlement will be paid to the attorneys representing the Almond estate. The lawsuit arose after a 2021 report, described by then-Governor Charlie Baker as “incredibly damning,” found that the Department of Children and Families ignored warning signs and unjustifiably returned the children to a drug-filled home. David Almond’s parents were later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The settlement aims to provide long-term resources for the surviving brothers and honor David’s memory.
Why it matters
The deal holds the state accountable for child-welfare failures and funds lifelong support for the surviving brothers.
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