HONOLULU (KHON2) — A new lawsuit seeks to hold the state accountable for the death of a 10-year-old girl allegedly killed by her foster parents.
Ten-year-old Geanna Bradley was tortured, starved and abused for years before she was found dead in January 2024 according to Honolulu Police. The child endured unspeakable horrors allegedly at the hands of her legal guardians Thomas and Brandy Blas and Debra Geron. The three were arrested at their Wahiawa home just weeks after Bradley’s death and are awaiting trial for her murder.
“We believe that those things should have been known and detected by the state,” attorney Randall Rosenberg said.
Rosenberg filed a civil lawsuit on March 11 on behalf of Geanna’s biological family. They are seeking damages but also want accountability and change.
“The goal of this law firm is to draw attention to what has happened again with another Hawaii child and to try and figure out ways that we can just incentivize the people who are involved in these kinds of cases,” Rosenberg added. “To pay more attention, to act better, to make better decisions. That’s what our goal is.”
The lawsuit names the Blases, Geron, and the State Department of Human Services, who Rosenberg claims failed to protect Geanna.
“Communication is poor. Things don’t get done. The ball gets dropped. Reports are not done on time. Investigations are done sort of haphazardly and not very thoroughly, and as a result these kids fall through the cracks and are getting hurt,” he explained.
Rosenberg is also litigating a civil suit in the death of 6-year-old Isabella ‘Ariel’ Kalua, allegedly murdered at the hands of her adoptive parents Issac and Lehua Kalua. Isabella’s body still hasn’t been found. The Kaluas remain in custody awaiting trial.
According to Rosenberg, DHS failed Isabella too. He said the Kaluas should never have been approved to extensive debt.
“I can’t even begin to justify the information that we’re seeing in that case about why they picked these two knuckleheads,” he said. “But its shocking.”
“The Department of Human Services cannot comment any active case or any pending litigation. The department will respond to any pending litigation in court with the assistance and representation of the Department of the Attorney General,” DHS Child Welfare Branch said in a statement.
A status conference for Thomas Blas, Brandy Blas and Debra Geron is scheduled for March 13. Their trial date is set for April 14.