The state of Connecticut has agreed to share an internal Department of Children and Families report with the lawyers representing a Waterbury man allegedly held captive by his stepmother as the victim seeks permission to sue the agency.
Attorney Joel Faxon, who is representing the alleged victim — known as S — said he will get access to the document under an agreement to keep the material confidential.
“‘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 in a written statement. “Hopefully, DCF learns from its failures in this case and ensures that no other children will suffer a similar trauma.”
The alleged victim is pursuing a claim filed with the state Claims Commission requesting authority to sue DCF for failing to protect him as a child.
The state’s lawyers previously objected to Faxon’s request to obtain the report and other DCF records, claiming they were protected under a broad confidentiality law. Assistant Attorney General John Tucker also petitioned for the claim to be dismissed entirely because it was filed outside the state’s three-year time limit.
Tucker asserted that DCF last contacted S’s family in 2005. More than two decades went by before S filed his claim in 2026.
Faxon argued that DCF could have had an ongoing duty to protect S, but he couldn’t adequately determine that without access to records that document what the agency saw and did during visits to the home.
The most critical document for exploring that argument is an internal report into how the child welfare agency handled S’s case, Faxon said. His team accused the state of “actively hiding” that document from them in a motion filed in July.
The existence of the report was discovered through a public records request by Connecticut Public. However, the document has not been released to the public.
The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission determined last month that the material is exempt from disclosure under a state law that prohibits the release of information created or obtained in connection with DCF's child protection activities.
In testimony provided during the public records case, a DCF bureau director said the report includes an overview of the underlying case demographic history, findings of a critical incident evaluation tool used by DCF and an outline of areas of strength and system opportunities.
Claims Commissioner Robert Shea, Jr. recently determined access to the internal DCF report is necessary for S’s lawyers to argue their case. He granted a protective order this week putting the agreement into effect.
The commission must still determine whether it has jurisdiction and the claim can move forward.
Police allege the victim was confined in a small room that was locked from the outside for more than two decades by his stepmother, Kimberly Sullivan. Sullivan has pleaded not guilty to charges including kidnapping and assault.
Sullivan’s attorney, Ioannis Kaloidis, declined to comment on her stepson's pending claim against the state.
"We are laser-focused on preparing for trial and the criminal defense of Kimberly Sullivan. We will not inject ourselves into the back and forth between the accuser and the state,” read a statement provided to Connecticut Public. “However, the characterization that Ms. Sullivan held the accuser hostage is patently false. The facts and evidence prove this and we look forward to presenting them to a jury."
DCF investigated six reports about the victim's well-being between 1996 and 2005, but didn't remove him from his family's home. The agency previously said there was not enough evidence to justify intervention.
