West Bloomfield Parents Can Sue Over False Abuse Accusation

After six years, falsely accused parents Julian and Thal Wendrow of West Bloomfield will finally get their day in court. 

Julian Wendrow was accused in 2007 of raping the couple's autistic daughter, based on claims that emerged through "facilitated communication" or FC, which involved a facilitator holding the girl's arm as she typed on a keyboard. Criminal charges were dropped in 2008. 

According to the Detroit Free Press, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the couple can sue Oakland County prosecutors, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools officials and Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) staff over the investigation, which separated the couple from their daughter and son for more than three months. 

West Bloomfield Township Police Department was also included in the original lawsuit. The township's insurance carrier settled the claim in 2010, in what township attorney William Hampton told the Free Press was "a business decision by the insurance carrier." 

Typically, government agencies are shielded from prosecution. The Wendrows' lawsuit claims their constitutional rights were violated by the investigation. 

Read the full story in the Detroit Free Press, including a graphic timeline of the case.