A 2-year-old’s death after months of documented abuse has led to one of the largest civil verdicts in Washington state history, with jurors concluding that multiple failures allowed the violence to continue unchecked.
TACOMA, WA – A Pierce County jury has awarded $130 million to the estate of Sarai Brooks, a toddler who died in 2022 after suffering what medical examiners described as prolonged abuse, finding that both the state’s child welfare agency and a Puyallup day care failed to act on clear warning signs. The verdict follows a five-week trial examining how repeated injuries observed by caregivers were never reported, despite legal requirements to do so.
“The most painful part of this case is how profoundly preventable it was,” civil attorney Ray Dearie said about Sarai Brooks’ death.
Failures to report abuse
Court filings and testimony showed that Sarai arrived at day care with visible injuries, including black eyes, bite marks, and burns. Employees at the School Kids Clubhouse did not alert authorities, despite being mandatory reporters under Washington law, according to the lawsuit filed by her estate.
“All it took to save this child’s life was for one person to do their job: a call to a social worker, a report from a mandated reporter, or any attempt at follow-up by the state. Any one of those actions could have saved Sarai’s life,” Dearie said.
The jury found “systemic failures” within both the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families and the daycare provider, apportioning liability between the two. The lawsuit alleged both entities “ignored clear warning signs of abuse and failed to take basic steps that would have saved Sarai’s life.”
History of abuse and criminal case
Sarai’s mother’s boyfriend, Augustino Maile, is serving a 16-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in June 2023 to manslaughter and second-degree assault of a child. He also admitted to abusing Sarai’s two brothers. Her mother, Jharmaine Baker, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal mistreatment and second-degree assault of a child.
Prosecutors said the abuse included repeated biting, burning, broken bones, and beatings. An autopsy found widespread bruising and a possible spinal cord hemorrhage. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, with injuries “indicative of repeated, prolonged abuse.”
After pleading guilty, Maile claimed Sarai’s death was accidental. The judge rejected that characterization during sentencing. “If I could give you more time, I would,” Pierce County Superior Court Judge Angelica Williams told him.
Evidence presented in the civil case showed that concerns about abuse had surfaced well before Sarai’s death. “In or about April 2021, Seattle Children’s Hospital employees, agents, or ostensible agents informed DCYF that Sarai J. Brooks had scars, burn marks, bite marks, and other injuries that were consistent with non-accidental injuries,” the complaint states.
Final days and missed warnings
On March 11, 2022, emergency responders were called to the family’s home, where Sarai was found unconscious with “blue lips.” Investigators reported finding “bloody paper towels, bloody bed sheets, and fecal and urine-stained bedding” at the scene.
Authorities later determined that Maile had been violating a restraining order that barred him from contact with the children. “Pierce County law enforcement conducted an investigation and found, among other things, that Augustino Maile had consistently been violating the restraining order … based on evidence easily gathered at the scene,” the complaint states.
Sarai’s father, Jalen Brooks, addressed the court at sentencing. “She was 2 years old,” Brooks said. “I just don’t know what makes a person, a grown man at that, beat a 2 year old. Still trying to figure that out.”
The verdict, described by attorneys as the largest of its kind in Washington state, assigns financial responsibility to both the daycare and the state agency. “This verdict gives Sarai a voice,” Dearie said. “Sarai did not have a voice while this was happening to her. This jury made sure she has one now and made clear that when institutions fail children like this, there must be accountability.”
Washington child abuse case, Sarai Brooks verdict, Pierce County jury award, daycare failure to report abuse, DCYF lawsuit Washington