Mom sues foster care victim’s legal guardian

AUGUSTA – A guardian appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of a 5-year-old girl who died in foster care has been added to a list of targets in a lawsuit by the girl’s mother.

The mother’s lawyer indicated he has put the court-appointed guardian, J. Lawrence Irwin, on notice that he will be sued. A lawsuit is expected to be filed by Oct. 15 in U.S. District Court.

Christy Marr is bringing the federal lawsuit in the suffocation death of her daughter, Logan Marr.

The foster mother, Sally Schofield of Chelsea, pleaded innocent to murder and manslaughter. She is accused of leaving Logan Marr bound in a highchair in the basement with her face covered with tape.

Before the Jan. 31 death, Irwin had been appointed to serve as guardian ad litem for Logan Marr. He represented Logan Marr and her younger sister, Bailey, in court proceedings brought by the Department of Human Services seeking to remove the girls from the custody of Christy Marr.

His recommendation was that both girls were better off in foster care. He continues to serve as guardian ad litem for Bailey Marr.

Other targets of the lawsuit include Department of Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon and the director of the state’s child and family services, along with Marr’s caseworker and supervisors from the DHS.

Irwin was Maine’s highest-paid guardian ad litem, receiving $76,000 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, the Kennebec Journal reported. Irwin denied that he was the highest paid guardian but declined further comment.

C. Clifton Fuller, lawyer for Christy Marr, accused Irwin of being biased in favor of DHS caseworkers to the point of accepting their word and ignoring other evidence.

“The consensus opinion among those who know him and who work with him is that he takes for gospel anything DHS says and makes his recommendations [to the judge] accordingly,” Fuller said.

David Winslow, spokesman for the DHS, said Irwin doesn’t always agree with DHS caseworkers. There have been several instances where he disagreed with the agency’s findings, Winslow said.