DON'T GET SCAMMED ABC ACTION NEWS AT 6 STARTS RIGHT NOW. >> AND TONIGHT, A NEW LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST FLORIDA'S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM ACCUSES STATE AGENCIES OF FABRICATING EVIDENCE, FALSIFYING RECORDS AND SECRETLY COLLABORATING. SO PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM COULD TAKE CHILDREN FOR THEMSELVES EVEN WHEN THE CHILD'S BIOLOGICAL RELATIVES WANT CUSTODY. GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR JOINING US IRAQ AND I'M JAMISON UHLER. WELCOME TO ABC ACTION NEWS AT 6. >> JAMISON UHLER: ONLY I TEAM INVESTIGATOR KATIE LAGRONE IS BREAKING THESE NEW ACCUSATIONS AND SPEAKING TO FAMILIES BEHIND THIS LAWSUIT. THEY SAY THE SYSTEM IS NOT ONLY BROKEN BUT CORRUPT AND USING ITS POWER AND INFLUENCE THE BREAK. FAMILIES APART. >> WITH THE VILLAGE OF FAMILY MEMBERS SURROUNDING THEM, I'M SORRY. SO KATE IS SO MUCH TONIGH AND RODNEY WILLIAMS ARE FOR THE FIRST TIME PUBLICLY SHARING WHAT THEY DESCRIBE KNOW LOVING PARENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO. THEY CALL THOSE ABUSERS AND THEY JUST TOOK US FROM DETAILING FIRST IN A LAWSUIT IN NOW TO US WHY THEY SAY THE SYSTEM CREATED TO PROTECT FAMILIES NOT ONLY FAILED THEM. >> AND IT >> BUT DISTORTED THE TRUTH TO STEAL THR EIDAUGHTER AWAY. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HER. WELL, FAVORITE COLOR HER FAVORITE SHOW ON TV. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. >> THE WILLIAMS ARE AMONG FOR FLORIDA FAMILIES NOW SUING THE GOVERNOR AND LEADERS OF FLORIDA'S DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN A NDFAMILIES AND OTHER STATE FOSTER CARE ORGANIZATIONS ACCUSING THE ORGANIZATIONS OF FABRICATING EVIDENCE HIDING AND WITHHOLDING KEY INFORMATION. AND IGNORING STATE AND FEDERAL FAMILY LAW SO THEY COULD SNATCHED CHILDREN FROM THEIR BIOLOGICAL FAMILIES. AND THEN ADOPT THEM OUT TO SYSTEM CONNECTED. STRANGERS. >> SEEKING CHILDREN OF THEIR OWN. IT'S BEEN 4 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS. FOR THE WILLIAMS. IT STARTED IN 2017 WHEN THEIR THEN 12 WEEK-OLD DAUGHTER SHOWED SIGNS OF LEG PAIN. MOM TOOK HER TO THE ER. ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS, X-RAYS REVEALED A FRACTURED FEMUR AND OTHER FRACK SHARES IN VARIOUS STAGES OF HEALING. DESPITE THE BABY'S TRAUMATIC BIRTH, WHICH INCLUDED A BROKEN CLAVICLE AND BREEZING DOCUMENTED BY HER PEDIATRICIAN, A NURSE SUSPECTED ABUSE MOM AND DAD WERE INVESTIGATED BY POLICE CASE CLOSED. NO CRIMINAL CHARGES. ACCORDING TO THE 106 PAGE COMPLAINT FILED WEDNESDAY IN A FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT IN TALLAHASSEE. STILL, THE SUIT SAYS DCF REMOVED THE BABY AND HER BROTHER FROM THE HOME. THESE YOUNG PARENTS EVENTUALLY STRIPPED OF THEIR PARENTAL RIGHTS. THEY FOCUS A CHANGE DOES IS JUST LIKE HE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A PART OF THOSE MISSING UNTIL SHE COMES HOME. HONESTLY, >> WELL, THE COUPLE DENIES THEY ABUSE THEIR CHILDREN AND ARE FIGHTING TO GET THEIR PARENTAL RIGHTS RESTORED. THEIR RELATIVES SAY THE SYSTEM OFF SO BROKE THEM BY DEPRIVING THE FAMILY OF THEIR RIGHTS TO TAKE CUSTODY ON THE BABY BYPASSING STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS THAT REQUIRE FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS SEEK OUT RELATIVES BEFORE PLACING CHILDREN WITH NON RELATIVE STRANGERS ON HOMES, TOO. >> NEED BACK THERE THAT AND YOUR BACKGROUND CHECKS, THEY BE WITH >> THEY GET THESE GRANDPARENTS SAY THEY WERE ULTIMATELY DISQUALIFIED FROM ADOPTING THEIR GRANDDAUGHTER. IT CAN SO MANY DIFFERENT THAI MILITARY WORK FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK. COLLEGE DEGREE. THERE WAS NOTHING ROOM WITH ME. COMING INTO THIS. BIOLOGICAL GRANDMOTHER SAYS AT ONE POINT CASEWORKERS FALSELY CLAIMED SHE ABUSED HER OWN SON YEARS EARLIER AND WAS EVEN LISTED ON THE ABUSE REGISTRY AS A CHILD ABUSER WHO WAS YEARS OLD AT THE TIME ALL LIE. SHE SAYS, I FEEL LIKE IT WAS A CONSPIRACY AND PART OF A BIGGER INTENT DESCRIBED IN THIS LAWSUIT AS UNLAWFUL INTERNAL DIVERSION TO LET OPERATORS OF THE SYSTEM ESSENTIALLY HAVE THEIR CHOICE OF CHILDREN PLACED INTO THE STATE'S CUSTODY WHILE THEY DO IT. CROTCH IS THE BABY'S BIOLOGICAL, GREAT AUNT. >> BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR SO LONG AND I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET CAUGHT. >> IN THE WILLIAMS CASE, THEIR DAUGHTER WAS FOSTERED OUT TO THIS FAMILY. THE FATHER, A BOARD MEMBER AT THE TIME FOR THE SAME CONTRACTED FOSTER AGENCY THAT THOUGHT TO TERMINATE THE PARENTS RIGHTS LIKE IT WAS A SETUP. >> I CAN'T DESCRIBE THE PAIN THAT WE EXPERIENCE THE BENCH. >> JUDY MILLER SAYS IT HAPPENED TO HER FAMILY TO NEARLY 3 YEARS AGO. SHE MOVED TO FLORIDA FROM ILLINOIS TO CARE FOR HER GRANDDAUGHTER AFTER HER DAUGHTER AND SON MAS. PARENTAL RIGHTS WERE TERMINATED. WELL, THE PARENTS DENY THEY DID ANYTHING WRONG. MILLER SAYS SHE WAS ONE OF 8 RELATIVES READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO TAKE CUSTODY BUT REJECTED. THEY DID TO OWN STUDIES. >> AND THEY WILL WORK FROM ACCORDING TO THIS LAWSUIT, MILLER'S BOND WITH HER DAUGHTER WAS TOO CLOSE. >> SO INSTEAD OF FAMILY, HER GRANDBABY WAS PLACED WITH A STRANGER SYSTEM CONNECTED. THE COMPLAINT STATES. >> YOU CAN'T WRITE OFF FAMILIES. SAME. >> FOR THIS FAMILY WHOSE DAUGHTER WON'T GROW UP WITH HER HALF-SISTER BECAUSE DCF AGAINST COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO KEEP THE BABY WITH FAMILY INSTEAD PLACED HER WITH A NON RELATIVE. >> FOSTER SYSTEM CONNECTED. SHE WAS A PRETTY LITTLE HAIR, BLUE-EYED, BABY. >> OF COURSE, THEY WANTED HER. THIS HAPPENING ALL OVER FLORIDA. >> AND MUCH BIGGER THE SCORE FAMILY. IT'S MUCH BIGGER. >> OCTAVIA BROWN IS PART OF THE TEAM OF ATTORNEYS BEHIND THIS COMPLAINT. THIS IS ALLEGING. KIDNAPPING WITHIN THE SYSTEM. WHAT ELSE YOU CALL IT? BROWN IS ALSO IN INSIDER, A FORMER ATTORNEY FOR DCF AND OTHER GROUPS WITHIN FLORIDA'S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. >> IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO IS CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM. AND THEY SEE A CHILD THAT THEY WANT. THEY ARE GOING TO GET THE CHILD. >> WELL, SHE BELIEVES THE SYSTEM OVERALL PROTECT CHILDREN FROM ABUSE. SHE EXPLAINS HOW STAFF WHO COLLABORATE TO DELIBERATELY KEEP A CHILD FROM BEING PLACED WITH RELATIVES CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. THE SYSTEM IS SO BOGGED DOWN. >> WHEN THEY COME THIS FALL STORIES. SO THEY COME IN. WHAT OFF FALSE ALLEGATIONS OF CAREGIVERS HAVING BACKGROUNDS. THE JUDGE IS NOT GOING TO SAY A LIVE LOOK AT THIS HOME STUDY. LET ME LET ME LOOK AT THIS. >> YOU CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, YOUNG PARENTS IN POOR FAMILIES ARE MOST VULNERABLE. SHE SAYS, BECAUSE THOSE FAMILIES DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIGHT THEOG BUS ALLEGATIONS. TODAY, THE WILLIAMS ARE PARENTS TO A LITTLE BOY. THEY'RE OLDER SON PLACED WITH GRANDPARENTS. >> WELL, THEIR ONLY DAUGHTER REMAINS GONE ADOPTED 3 YEARS AGO BY THE SAME BOARD MEMBER HIS FAMILY WHO FIRST TOOK HER IN ANY EMAIL. THE NOW FORMER BOARD MEMBER STATED I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOU REGARDING OUR DAUGHTER. I'M SURE YOU'VE HEARD SEVERAL FABULOUS STORIES WHICH ARE NOT TRUE. HE NEVER ELABORATED. HIS ATTORNEY WOULDN'T LET HIM TELLING ME CUSTODY CASES ARE BY LAW CONFIDENTIAL AND CAN'T BE PUBLICLY DISCUSSED. >> IN RESPONSE TO LAWSUIT, A SPOKESPERSON FROM DCF TOLD US IN THIS E-MAIL IN PART, WE WORK TO EXHAUST ALL EFFORT TO FIND A RELATIVE OR NON RELATIVE CAREGIVER FOR CHILDREN REMOVED FROM BIOLOGICAL PARENTS. OUR GOAL IS FAMILY PRESERVATION WHENEVER POSSIBLE. ♪ >> BUT THE WILLIAMS AND THE 3 OTHER FLORIDA FAMILIES NAMED IN THIS LAWSUIT SAY THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. NOW. THEY'RE HOPING THE JUSTICE SYSTEM CAN DO WHAT THEY BELIEVE, THE STATE'S CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM WENT OUT OF ITS WAY AND AGAINST THEM ALL NOT TO USE A BLACK CHILD >> RAISED IN THE WHITE HOUSE HOME. AND SHE'S GOING FIND OUT THAT SHE WAS STOLEN PHONE FROM AN EXCELLENT FAMILY. THE SYSTEM IS A LIE. THAT'S JUST WHAT IT >> A DCF SPOKESPERSON ADDS FLORIDA IS 18 YEAR LOW WHEN IT COMES TO REMOVING CHILDREN FROM CAREGIVERS AND SAYS THEY'VE INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS TO KEEP KIDS WITH FAMILY. AS FOR THIS LAWSUIT
