David C. Ex Rel. Brown v. Leavitt

MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellees brought a class action lawsuit against Appellants, officials of the State of Utah (hereinafter “Utah”), alleging federal constitutional and statutory violations in the operation of Utah’s child welfare system. After the district court extended the deadline for answering the complaint, the parties were involved in settlement negotiations for a full year. The parties eventu-' ally entered into a settlement agreement (the “Agreement”) which imposed numerous obligations on Utah, including, inter alia, obligations to investigate reports of child abuse…