Via NJ.com:
NEWARK — Four-year-old Jadiel Velesquez, the Hillside boy left brain damaged from a brutal beating by his father while he was just an infant, was awarded $166 million today in what’s believed to be the largest jury verdict ever against the state of New Jersey.
The jury in state Superior Court deliberated two hours before finding the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services failed to protect Jadiel from a father with a history of violent outbursts and explosive behavior and should have removed him from his custody.
“For Jadiel, I thank God,” said Neomi Escobar, the boy’s grandmother who ...
