A South Florida child is suing two child welfare providers he says failed to protect him from being sexually abused.
The attorneys for the child say a man with a history of child molestation allegations is a former foster parent accused of sexually abusing a foster child in his care a few years ago.
According to the lawsuit, Kids in Distress and Childnet failed to do proper background checks that would have uncovered several red flags in the man's past.
"One of the things they would have found out was that in the year 2000 [the foster parent] had been picked up for showing pornography to a 16-year-old, and then tried to solicit him to engage in sexual acts," said the plaintiff's attorney, Howard Talenfeld.
According to the child's attorney, the man was also once the foster parent of seven-year-old Gabriel Myers.
In 2009, Myers hung himself in another foster home less than a month after leaving the foster parent's care.
Kids in Distress released a statement, which reads in part, "While we cannot share any additional information regarding allegations due to confidentiality regulations, Kids in Distress is dedicated to protecting our children and will comply with any investigations."
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NBC 6 reached out to ChildNet for comment but haven't heard back.
