Grieving dad wins court ruling
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Throughout most of his young son’s short life, Jeff Scarbrough paid child support voluntarily — without a court order. He spent every possible moment with the cheerful boy, never missing a visitation day, and talked about him endlessly when they were apart. Scarbrough gave all the love and support that he could, he says, but it wasn’t enough. The part-time hairdresser was denied compensation for the death of his 3-year-old son, who was crushed by a dump truck, because he missed some monthly support payments. Now, in the first test of a new state law saying “support” isn’t just money, Scarbrough will get another chance at vindication. The state Court of Appeals last week granted a new trial for the grieving father’s wrongful-death suit, saying, “Substantial justice has not been served.” Elijah Raven Gauthier, also called Eli, was born Jan. 18, 1997. He lived with his mother, Stacey Gauthier Postema, and his half-sister, Monique Postema, in a three-bedroom home in Snohomish. More : seattlepi.nwsource.com |