11 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,July 15,2021 insidehalton.com The family of a four- year-old girl who was found dead at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in Mil- ton last year has launched a civil lawsuit against the Jewish Family and Child Service and Conservation Halton. The bodies of Keira Ka- gan, 4, and her biological fa- ther Robin Brown, 35, were found by Halton police at the base of a cliff within the conservation area just after 11 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2020, after they were reported missing following an afternoon hike. The child's mother, Dr. Jennifer Kagan, previously said that she believes that her ex-husband Brown killed Keira and himself amid a long-standing custo- dy dispute. The suit alleges that the Jewish Family and Child Service failed to step up and protect Keira from harm. Part of the statement of claim reads that the em- ployees at the children's aid society "knew or ought to have known that Keira was a child in need of protec- tion" and that Brown "was a danger to her health and safety." Justin Linden, the fami- ly's lawyer, said that there was more than sufficient evidence to warrant the agency's intervention. "There's a substantial claim against them for dam- ages and we will ask the court to find that the death of this young girl was pre- ventable," he said, noting that the lawsuit is also to protect the next Keira and prevent something similar from happening in the fu- ture. As for the claim against Conservation Halton, he said that it was on the basis that there is an "unguarded, unprotected, unsafe drop off" at the park. According to the claim, the conservation authority failed to post adequate warning signs or install barriers or any other safety equipment to prevent peo- ple from falling over the cliff. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been proven in court. The Jewish Family and Child Service has not re- sponded to a request for comment from Inside Hal- ton. In an email to CBC News, the agency said it could not comment on the allegations. Meanwhile, Conserva- tion Halton said in an email that it could not comment because it has not yet seen the statement of claim. "Once we have had a chance to review the state- ment of claim, we will be in a position to respond," said Plezzie Ramirez, human re- sources director with Con- servation Halton. The lawsuit is seeking "general damages in the amount of ($1 million) for the wrongful death of Keira (Kagan)," according to the claim, as well as special damages in the amount of $10 million, and "aggravat- ed, punitive, and exemplary damages" in the amount of $5 million, among other costs. - with files from Torstar CONSERVATION HALTON AMONG THOSE BEING SUED OVER GIRL'S DEATH Dr. Jennifer Kagan holds a picture of her daughter last year. Steve Russell/Metroland BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com NEWS