West Virginia approves $4.4 million settlement for five children

A Kanawha County judge approved a $4.4 million settlement for five children in claims against West Virginia over the state’s handling of reports about their welfare while they lived with adoptive parents Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz. The award is the maximum available under the state’s liability limits, according to reports on the settlement. The children’s lawsuit alleged that Child Protective Services failed to respond adequately to warnings about their treatment. The settlement resolves their claims against the state; the reported materials do not specify how the money will be divided among the five children. Their attorney, Dante diTrapano, said the funds would support their ongoing recovery and care. Authorities found the children at the couple’s Sissonville home in October 2023. Accounts of the discovery say some children were confined in a shed, while a nine-year-old was found inside the house. The shed reportedly lacked running water. Whitefeather and Lantz were later convicted of offenses related to their treatment of the children and received lengthy prison sentences.