Courtesy KBAK
BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) — New allegations of widespread failures within Kern County Child Protective Services are at the center of a federal lawsuit filed over the death of an 8-year-old Bakersfield girl.
The lawsuit, filed by a Los Angeles law firm on behalf of the siblings of Genesis Mata, names the Kern County Department of Human Services, the department’s director, more than 20 social workers and supervisors, a CPS investigator, and the La Quinta Inn where the child’s body was discovered in a guest room bathtub in August 2025.
According to KGET, the lawsuit alleges that negligence and systemic failures within CPS allowed the abuse of Genesis to continue, ultimately leading to her death.
The complaint claims county officials failed to properly respond to warning signs and protect the child despite prior involvement with the family. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the defendants will have an opportunity to respond.
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