Committee hears state tort payouts rising as child‑welfare and corrections claims surge

Staff and agency witnesses told the Law & Justice Committee on June 4 that Washington is seeing large increases in tort claims and payouts, primarily tied to child‑welfare and corrections cases.

“Tort payouts are increasing,” William Bridges, committee staff, said in opening the discussion on the state’s tort liability profile. He cited data from the Office of Risk Management showing the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the Department of Corrections (DOC) as top drivers of claims.

Why it matters: rising claims affect the state budget and agency operations and may prompt additional legislative fixes. Committee witnesses and agency officials described how case law and recent litigation trends, changes to childhood abuse statutes and concentrated waves of lawsuits are increasing both the number and cost of claims.

State staff and outside counsel described the pattern. Scott Barber, chief of the Torts Division at the Attorney General’s Office, said, “the largest single driver over the last decade or so has been lawsuits and claims against DSHS and then DCYF.” He and other witnesses pointed to the interaction of statutes,…