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Washington court hears argument over whether child-abuse reporting immunity shields Seattle Children's from negligent-training suit
Summary
In oral argument, counsel debated whether Washington's mandatory reporter statute bars a direct negligence claim against Seattle Children's Hospital for alleged failures in training and supervision tied to a staff member's report to CPS. The court recessed without issuing a ruling.
The court heard oral argument in Farrah v. Seattle Children's Hospital over whether Washington's mandatory child-abuse reporting statute bars a negligent-training and supervision claim against the hospital.
Brennan Johnson, counsel for Seattle Children's Hospital, told the panel that hospital employee Amy Tainter observed conduct in a February 2022 exam room that led her to report her concerns to the hospital's Safe Child and Adolescent Network (SCAN) Team and, under mandatory-reporting rules, to CPS. Johnson said the report led to the plaintiff's arrest and later was followed by dropped charges after investigative interviews. Johnson argued that, as a matter of law, the plaintiff cannot maintain negligent-supervision or training claims for three independent reasons:…
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