Five Black children subjected to forced labor by their wealthy white adoptive parents have secured a $4.4 million settlement from West Virginia after the state allegedly failed to protect them.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz were collectively sentenced to 375 years in prison for holding the siblings—who were between 6 and 16 years old at the time—in appalling conditions at their Sissonville property. Prosecutors said the couple made the children perform farm work because of their race.
Kanawha County Circuit Judge Maryclaire Akers approved the $4.4 million agreement last week, according to West Virginia Watch. The payment represents the maximum amount the state is allowed to provide.
Attorney Dante diTrapano, who represented the children, said the settlement could give them a chance to rebuild their lives. “It means that these kids will have an opportunity to be children,” he said.
“They were robbed of their innocence and robbed of their youth by the monsters that were their former parents.”
The settlement will be divided among the five siblings. Several of the children are living with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to the abuse they endured.
The siblings sued West Virginia’s Department of Human Services earlier this year, alleging that Child Protective Services failed to intervene and keep them safe.
According to West Virginia Watch, the agency could not produce records showing that CPS had visited or contacted the children, even though its system contained reports describing slave-like conditions.
“There were a ton of calls that came in from neighbors, and I think only one visit out there. There should have been many more,” diTrapano said.
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Evidence presented during the couple’s trial showed that CPS left a card at the family’s front door. DiTrapano said the agency eventually interviewed the children, but the conversation took place within hearing distance of their adoptive parents.
State officials said at least one Department of Human Services employee involved in the case was fired.
DiTrapano has described West Virginia’s broader child welfare system as “broken.”
“There’s all kinds of things that need to be changed,” he told West Virginia Watch. He cited concerns about the preparation of employees responsible for child welfare, the way interviews are conducted and documented, and whether reports are treated with the urgency they require.
The children were discovered in deplorable conditions after a neighbor alerted authorities that two teenagers were being confined in a shed.
Police found the oldest siblings—a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl—locked inside the structure. It contained a small RV-style portable toilet but had no lighting or running water. One of the teenagers told investigators they had been confined in the barn for 12 hours after their last meal.
The teenagers were wearing dirty clothing and had a strong odor, according to reports. They also said the couple made them sleep directly on the concrete floor without mattresses.
Lars Dalseide, a spokesperson for Gov. Patrick Morrisey, said the governor has taken steps to strengthen DPS since entering office.
Following their adoptive parents’ arrests, the children were placed with new families. Two of their adoptive mothers attended the court proceedings and described the children’s new lives, including a recent trip to the beach.
DiTrapano also said he intends to pursue charges against Washington state’s Human Services Department. He alleges the agency approved Whitefeather and Lantz’s move with the children from Washington to West Virginia despite earlier reports of abuse.