PHOENIX — An Arizona family's desperate call to the Department of Child Services for help with their autistic son in crisis turned into a six-year legal battle that cost Arizona taxpayers nearly $3 million.
And it’s a case the family’s attorney said they would have settled for less than $200,000.
The case began in October 2019.
The Stein family’s 9-year-old son Corran, who has severe autism, had become increasingly violent and erratic. During one incident, the boy attacked his father while driving, choking him from behind and nearly causing a crash.
"We were in crisis, obviously, because we didn't know what to do," said Justin Stein, Corran's father. "He really needed psychiatric help."
The family had exhausted other options before calling DCS, court records show.
They contacted their son's disability support coordinator with the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities, his local autism therapy team, and his teacher, who advised them to call a special crisis response team.
At their home, the crisis response team ultimately directed them to the DCS hotline.
"My son, he's disabled and he's got severe autism. And in the last month he's been increasingly violent towards himself and others. We can't handle him," Corran's mother, Jackie, told the DCS hotline operator, according to the recording obtained by ABC15.
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"We're in danger. We need help today," she said.
In their lawsuit, the Steins claimed DCS workers told the family the only way they could take their son was if they signed a document saying they were neglectful. Desperate for assistance, the family signed, not knowing it could mean losing custody permanently.
When the family tried to get their son back in the following days, DCS fought them, filing a custody petition stating the parents "are no longer willing to care for Corran" and that "they asked DCS to take custody of Corran."
Attorney Mike Moore, who represented the Stein family, called these statements "absolutely complete fabrications."
The juvenile court didn't believe DCS and ordered custody back to the family. Later, a federal jury found DCS engaged in judicial deception and violated the family's constitutional rights.
The total cost of the case nearly reached $3 million.
The breakdown includes $1.3 million DCS paid to outside counsel, $742,000 in attorney fees ordered by the court to be paid to the Stein’s attorneys, and an approximately $650,000 judgment to the family.
Moore said the family would have settled early for $180,000 to $190,000, but the state initially offered just $1,500.
"The department kind of has this mindset that we can't be touched, and nothing about these individual civil rights cases in federal court seems to change that attitude," Moore said.
ABC15 has requested the total amount of legal fees and costs paid out by DCS related to lawsuits going back ten years. The state has not yet released those numbers.
But ABC15 discovered DCS has paid out more than $30 million to settle lawsuits since 2016, with wrongful removals being the most common allegation.
"I would never call DCS on anybody unless I really knew something was really bad going on," Stein said. "I would never want to put a parent through what we went through."
In a statement, DCS defended its actions.
“The Department supports the decision-making of our field staff and supervisors, who work tirelessly to protect children and strengthen families. Our specialists approach every situation with compassion and care, often making difficult decisions under challenging circumstances to ensure child safety. It is unfortunate that this case has resulted in significant legal fees, with the attorneys walking away with more compensation than the family, rather than resources directly benefiting children and families.”
This digital article was produced with the assistance of AI and converted to this platform based on the broadcast story written and reported by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
