CT Examiner| Dave Altimari
The Attorney General’s Office has agreed to turn over records detailing how the state Department of Children and Families handled the case of a Waterbury man who was allegedly held captive by his stepmother for more than two decades.
Following a hearing last month, Claims Commissioner Robert Shea ordered Assistant Attorney General John Tucker and New Haven attorney Joel Faxon, who is representing “S” in his potential civil lawsuit against the state, to meet and work out how the records will be disclosed.
At that hearing, Faxon said he believed DCF had prepared a 50-page report after “S” was rescued by Waterbury firefighters in March 2025. He said he needed that report to respond to the state’s effort to dismiss his claim on the grounds that it was filed after the statute of limitations had expired.
Tucker opposed releasing the report, arguing it contained privileged information about other people as well as conversations between DCF officials and family members of “S.”
But on Tuesday Faxon said the two sides had reached an agreement to “minimally redact” the records.
“‘S’ appreciates that the Attorney General’s office recognized the fairness in providing ‘S’ confidential access to the internal DCF review of its many failures to intervene and protect him from a life of captivity,” Faxon said. “Hopefully, DCF learns from its failures in this case and ensures that no other children will suffer a similar trauma.”
In a three-page agreement filed with Shea’s office Tuesday, the state agreed to turn over four sets of documents. They will remain sealed by the Claims Commissioner.
It is unclear if additional records exist beyond the 50-page report. All of the documents appear to be from a July 2025 investigation, which would have been four months after “S” was rescued.
After his rescue, “S” told firefighters he set the blaze on purpose using a lighter, hand sanitizer and paper to escape from the room in the Blake Street home where he had allegedly been confined for years. Police said he weighed barely 60 pounds when he was rescued.
The stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan, was arrested on two counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree assault. She is free on $300,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Waterbury on Oct. 20.
The Faxon Law Group is seeking permission from Shea to sue DCF for allegedly mishandling its involvement with “S”’s family between 1996 and 2005 and ignoring concerns from Waterbury school officials about how “S” had been removed from school.
The dispute over the report comes as the state seeks to have the case dismissed. The attorney general’s office is arguing that any claim against DCF is barred by the three-year statute of limitations because the department’s involvement with the family ended in 2005.
Faxon is seeking additional records from the state to respond to that argument and to build a complete record in case the matter ultimately needs to be taken to the legislature.
At an August hearing, Shea said he believed Faxon was entitled to see the records before any hearing on the state’s motion to dismiss the claim could be heard.
“Now we can put it under seal for the time being, but it’s something that I think is fair to the claimant’s counsel that they need to look at to decide whether or not they can make the argument of continuing course of conduct,” Shea said.
Shea has not set a date for a hearing to dismiss the case.