Grandmother Sues Over Child Abuse Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The grandmother of a 4-year-old boy whose death resulted in numerous child protection reforms in Minnesota is suing social workers and relatives who she says failed to intervene when signs of abuse were evident.

Eric Dean's stepmother, Amanda Peltier, was convicted of killing the boy, who died in February of 2013 when he was thrown across a room, causing a fatal injury.

The lawsuit is being brought by Eric's maternal grandmother, Julie Olivier, who was not involved in the boy's life when he died. Oliver says it's not about the money, but rather making examples of the social workers who handled the case.

Pope County's attorney, James Andreen, says the social workers did nothing wrong and were working under constraints of previous laws on what information could be reviewed and what could be investigated.