Unfolding Horror: Lawsuits and Investigations Continue in Thomas Valva Child Death Case
A federal lawsuit concerning the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, who died of hypothermia after being forced to sleep in an unheated garage, has reached a global settlement. The suit, filed by his mother Justyna Zubko-Valva, alleged years of ignored abuse warnings by county and school officials. This resolution follows sustained efforts to reform Child Protective Services in Suffolk County, including the implementation of a
A federal lawsuit alleging years of ignored warnings of abuse before 8-year-old Thomas Valva died of hypothermia in January 2020 has culminated in a global settlement, according to recent court records. The lawsuit was filed by Thomas’s mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, against Suffolk County, several of its Child Protective Services (CPS) employees, East Moriches school officials, various attorneys, and Thomas’s father Michael Valva and his fiancée Angela Pollina. The settlement, details of which remain undisclosed, brings a close to the five-year legal battle.
Thomas Valva died after being forced by his father and Pollina to sleep in their unheated Center Moriches garage when outside temperatures plummeted to 19 degrees. Both Michael Valva, a former NYPD officer, and Angela Pollina were convicted of second-degree murder and child endangerment charges at separate trials and are serving sentences of 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors described their Bittersweet Lane home as a