Joliet Baby's Murder Spurs Wrongful Death Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL - On Christmas Eve, little Cherish Freeman died at an Oak Lawn trauma center, five days after her mother, Shanquilla Garvey, was arrested by the Joliet Police Department on criminal charges that now accuse her of committing first-degree murder. On Wednesday, the little baby's father, Justin Freeman, with the help of two Chicago law firms, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County. But the lawsuit does not name the child's mother as the defendant. Rather, the lawsuit is against Lydia Home Association, doing business as Safe Families For Children.

The plaintiff's lawyers are Kevin O'Connor of O'Connor Law Firm and Law Offices of Jeffery Leving.

Cherish Freeman died in December.

According to the key elements of the lawsuit, Cherish Freeman had resided with a foster care family between September and December of the Chicago-based defendant, Lydia Home/Safe Families For Children. Cherish was born in March to Justin Freeman and the child's mother, Shanquilla Garvey. Joliet Police have previously said that Garvey, 24, had been living at the Bel-Air Motel on Joliet's Plainfield Road since October. The child's mother is accused of throwing her nine-month-old baby girl into a dresser, onto the floor and then shaking her child violently inside the motel. Prior to moving to Joliet, Garvey had lived in Bolingbrook.

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"On information and belief, on or about December 2017, or some time before, Plaintiff Justin Freeman requested that his daughter be released to him but was informed by Lydia Home Association Inc., d/b/a Safe Families For Children and or its employees ... that he could not remove his daughter, Cherish Lynn Freeman, from the Lydia Home Association ... without the consent of her mother."

The lawsuit states that Freeman expressed his concerns to Lydia House "about abuse in the home of his daughter, Cherish Lynn Freeman, specifically refused consent to have Cherish Lynn Freeman removed to the custody of her mother, Shanquilla Garvey-Howard," the lawsuit states.

According to the plaintiff's version of events, Lydia House representatives, in violation of their policies and procedures, on or about December 2017, "released Plaintiff's daughter, Cherish Lynn Freeman, into the custody of Shanquilla Garvey-Howard, without the consent of Plaintiff, Justin Freeman."

Then on Dec. 20, 2017, "Shanquilla Garvey-Howard, caused severe physical injuries to decedent, Cherish Lynn Freeman, which resulted in skull fractures, severe internal lacerations and bleeding, coma and ultimately death," the suit states.

Cherish Freeman was survived by her mother, Shanquilla Garvey-Howard, her father, Justin Freeman, her sisters Paris Freeman, La'Niayah Rose Jackson, La'Miyrah Marie Jackson, as well as her brothers Javion Hampton and Jaquan Jackson, "all of whom have or might have been and may or will in the future, be deprived of the society, companionship, love, affection and support of the decedent, Cherish Lynn Freeman," the plaintiff's lawsuit states.

Mugshot of Shanquilla Garvey via Will County Sheriff's Department, photo of Baby Cherish Freeman via GoFundMe