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State: Starved boys to get $12.5 million

2003 N.J. case focused attention on child welfare system

(CNN) -- Lawyers for four New Jersey boys allegedly starved by their adoptive parents have agreed to a $12.5 million dollar settlement from the state of New Jersey, a spokesman for the Division of Youth and Family Services said Friday.

Although the settlement is still awaiting signatures and approval from a judge, Department of Human Services spokesman Laurie Facciarossa confirmed that the boys' attorneys have accepted the state's offer.

Facciarossa said she "fully expects" the agreement to be signed on Monday.

If approved, the settlement will pay $12.5 million dollars to Bruce Jackson and his three adoptive brothers, Michael, Keith and Tyrone, all of whom were found starving in their Collingswood, New Jersey, home in October 2003.

State officials believe the money will be enough to provide for the boys' physical, psychological and medical needs for the rest of their lives.

Facciarossa also confirmed that the settlement is among the largest ever for the Department of Human Services.

The Jackson boys' case garnered national attention in 2003, when New Jersey's embattled child welfare service came under fire after local police found a 19-year-old Bruce Jackson rummaging through his neighbor's trash can.

Police said Bruce weighed just 45 pounds at the time.

Prosecutors charged the boys' adoptive parents, Raymond and Vanessa Jackson, with 28 counts of child endangerment and aggravated assault.

Raymond Jackson died from stroke in November. Vanessa Jackson, meanwhile, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

With the exception of Bruce, the boys are living with foster parents.

"The settlement is meant to reflect the state's recognition of the ordeal the boys were forced to undergo," Facciarossa said. "Our hope is that the money will go a long way towards providing a better future for the boys."

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