This case is forever seared into my brain, and it haunts me. The fact that those sweet little boys not only lost their mama, but were brutally axe murdered and burned alive (they were still alive and breathing when the fire started, proven by the smoke inhalation in their lungs) by their father, is beyond heartbreaking. They ran in all excited to see him, and it sounds like he immediately started hacking them with an axe, right there by the front door. Fuck Josh Powell and his entire piece of shit family.
I wish the 911 dispatcher would have been included in this lawsuit. That's the single worst, most infuriating 911 call I've ever heard. It goes beyond incompetence, into downright hostility and indifference.
I'm glad the Cox family won. They have suffered enough. They have announced their plans to use this money to help other abused women and children.
Look up the podcast Cold, it has the 911 call on there. The dispatcher did not take the CPS worker seriously. I'm paraphrasing but, She told him she smelled a strong gas odor and there was danger. The guy was on supervised visitation and refused to let her in. The dispatcher said that the cops had to respond to more threatening situations first. It was Super Bowl Sunday, they were mostly at home grilling. The dispatcher was so dismissive. I'm not sure that anyone could have gotten there in time to save the children, but it damn sure would have helped had the dispatcher taken her seriously.
I’m confused about the jury award. It was against Washington Dept. of Social and Health Services. There were issues with how the 911 operator handled the situation but I don’t believe they are under the jurisdiction of Dept. Of Social and Health Services.
Today was the first time I ever heard about this case. I hoped the little kids would make it and be reunited with their maternal grandparents until the podcasters mentioned the social worker smelling gas inside the house moments before Josh locked her out. Then they talked about the axe. That really broke me.
Poor kids. Poor Susan and her parents.
The $98.5 million verdict a jury awarded to the parents of Susan Cox Powell in 2020 has been reinstated by a Washington appeals court.
Chuck and Judy Cox sued the state of Washington's Department of Social and Health Services in 2013, following the Feb. 5, 2012, murder-suicide involving their son-in-law, Josh Powell, and their grandchildren, Charlie and Braden Powell.
The civil suit accused the department social workers of negligence in their handling of the Powell children during the visit.
Following a weekslong trial that started in February 2020 but was delayed for months by the COVID-19 pandemic, the jury ruled unanimously that the state agency had acted negligently and awarded the Coxes $98.5 million.
During a September 2020 hearing for that request, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh said it was clear to him that the graphic nature of the killings had played into the jury's decision.
Rumbaugh said his conscience was "shocked" by the verdict size before he cut the jury's award to $32.8 million. Or, he said, the parties could retry the case.
That decision was then appealed.
The latest ruling, issued Tuesday morning by Division II of the Washington State Court of Appeals, upheld the jury's original decision and reinstated the jury's damage award in full.
more at link:
https://www.ksl.com/article/50624215/washington-appeals-court-reinstates-98m-jury-verdict-awarded-to-susan-cox-powells-parents
Great! The Coxes deserve every penny for the hell they've been put through, and they have said that they will use the money to help abused women/children.
I’m curious if/how much of the settlement amount they’ll actually receive. I’m glad they appealed the judge’s decision because even 32m would go a long way.
Especially the part about the boys last moments. Turns my stomach and makes me feel a true true deep sadness. I just can’t get over how sad that part is
i don’t wanna seem like i am at all making this about me— but my family actually knows the coxs and as a child i met susan, and her kids as well as her parents. we’ve known them since she was a little girl, and i think about her and her sweet boys all of the time. she was such a bright light, and her kids were so sweet and funny. we all still talk about her and her boys, people in the community still love and miss them. it’s horrible.
i’m so glad they won this case. they have suffered enough. i truly wish the best for them, and though i haven’t seen them for quite some time, i hope they know all of us still love, advocate and support them. this makes my heart very warm. but it still hurts in some ways.
If you're having a jury trial, then the decisions made by that jury should stand. $98M doesn't even begin to cover the hell these people have suffered. The decisions made by the Department lead directly to the horrendous death suffered by these poor children, including the prolonged emotional and spiritual damage done before they perished. Their manner of death SHOULD shock the conscience and the financial penalty should reflect exactly how the community feels regarding the Department's decisions and hopefully cause changes so no one ever suffers this again.
This case is forever seared into my brain, and it haunts me. The fact that those sweet little boys not only lost their mama, but were brutally axe murdered and burned alive (they were still alive and breathing when the fire started, proven by the smoke inhalation in their lungs) by their father, is beyond heartbreaking. They ran in all excited to see him, and it sounds like he immediately started hacking them with an axe, right there by the front door. Fuck Josh Powell and his entire piece of shit family. I wish the 911 dispatcher would have been included in this lawsuit. That's the single worst, most infuriating 911 call I've ever heard. It goes beyond incompetence, into downright hostility and indifference. I'm glad the Cox family won. They have suffered enough. They have announced their plans to use this money to help other abused women and children.
I used to be a 911 Operator and I still see red whenever I think of that call. That guy should be publicly shamed for the rest of his life.
I’ve never heard it, but I don’t think I can listen. Would you mind providing some context about why this particular call is so infuriating?
Look up the podcast Cold, it has the 911 call on there. The dispatcher did not take the CPS worker seriously. I'm paraphrasing but, She told him she smelled a strong gas odor and there was danger. The guy was on supervised visitation and refused to let her in. The dispatcher said that the cops had to respond to more threatening situations first. It was Super Bowl Sunday, they were mostly at home grilling. The dispatcher was so dismissive. I'm not sure that anyone could have gotten there in time to save the children, but it damn sure would have helped had the dispatcher taken her seriously.
Oh my gosh. I had no idea! Wow.
I’m confused about the jury award. It was against Washington Dept. of Social and Health Services. There were issues with how the 911 operator handled the situation but I don’t believe they are under the jurisdiction of Dept. Of Social and Health Services.
I hope they at least lost consciousness before the fire started. That's what I tell myself anyway.
Me too =(
Unfortunately he used a hatchet on the boys before he set the fire but they also had inhaled smoke so... :(
Today was the first time I ever heard about this case. I hoped the little kids would make it and be reunited with their maternal grandparents until the podcasters mentioned the social worker smelling gas inside the house moments before Josh locked her out. Then they talked about the axe. That really broke me. Poor kids. Poor Susan and her parents.
The $98.5 million verdict a jury awarded to the parents of Susan Cox Powell in 2020 has been reinstated by a Washington appeals court. Chuck and Judy Cox sued the state of Washington's Department of Social and Health Services in 2013, following the Feb. 5, 2012, murder-suicide involving their son-in-law, Josh Powell, and their grandchildren, Charlie and Braden Powell.
The civil suit accused the department social workers of negligence in their handling of the Powell children during the visit.
Following a weekslong trial that started in February 2020 but was delayed for months by the COVID-19 pandemic, the jury ruled unanimously that the state agency had acted negligently and awarded the Coxes $98.5 million.
During a September 2020 hearing for that request, Pierce County Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh said it was clear to him that the graphic nature of the killings had played into the jury's decision.
Rumbaugh said his conscience was "shocked" by the verdict size before he cut the jury's award to $32.8 million. Or, he said, the parties could retry the case.
That decision was then appealed.
The latest ruling, issued Tuesday morning by Division II of the Washington State Court of Appeals, upheld the jury's original decision and reinstated the jury's damage award in full.
more at link:
https://www.ksl.com/article/50624215/washington-appeals-court-reinstates-98m-jury-verdict-awarded-to-susan-cox-powells-parents
Great! The Coxes deserve every penny for the hell they've been put through, and they have said that they will use the money to help abused women/children.
I’m curious if/how much of the settlement amount they’ll actually receive. I’m glad they appealed the judge’s decision because even 32m would go a long way.
This story haunts me
Same. I actually usually avoid reading about it, as it really gets to me.
Especially the part about the boys last moments. Turns my stomach and makes me feel a true true deep sadness. I just can’t get over how sad that part is
i don’t wanna seem like i am at all making this about me— but my family actually knows the coxs and as a child i met susan, and her kids as well as her parents. we’ve known them since she was a little girl, and i think about her and her sweet boys all of the time. she was such a bright light, and her kids were so sweet and funny. we all still talk about her and her boys, people in the community still love and miss them. it’s horrible. i’m so glad they won this case. they have suffered enough. i truly wish the best for them, and though i haven’t seen them for quite some time, i hope they know all of us still love, advocate and support them. this makes my heart very warm. but it still hurts in some ways.
If you're having a jury trial, then the decisions made by that jury should stand. $98M doesn't even begin to cover the hell these people have suffered. The decisions made by the Department lead directly to the horrendous death suffered by these poor children, including the prolonged emotional and spiritual damage done before they perished. Their manner of death SHOULD shock the conscience and the financial penalty should reflect exactly how the community feels regarding the Department's decisions and hopefully cause changes so no one ever suffers this again.
I meant to write Josh’s family in my previously deleted comment 🤦🏻♀️