Amy and Karley Thorson sued Mahnomen County Child Protection Services in federal court after unsupported findings of sexual abuse against them.
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Amy and Karley Thorson say Mahnomen County Child Protection Services (CPS) wrongly labeled them as having sexually abused Amy’s two sons, ages seven and five. The “maltreatment” findings prohibited both sisters from having any contact with the boys for 543 days and threatened Karley’s job as a Fargo public school teacher.
There was no abuse and no credible evidence of it. Amy was going through a contentious divorce. One of the children disclosed abuse, but the disclosure had the signatures of improper coaching. The CPS worker assigned to the case, Cristie Cahlin, had been a longtime classmate of Amy’s ex-husband. Cahlin did not disclose the connection to the Thorsons. Evidence also showed Cahlin regularly texted with Amy’s ex-husband during the investigation, but Cahlin refused Amy’s and Karley’s request to be interviewed.
Under Minnesota’s child-protection laws, investigators must give an accused caregiver notice of the allegations and an opportunity to be interviewed before reaching a determination. Amy and Karley alleged Cahlin did neither. They say they repeatedly tried to schedule an interview, but were turned away. Cahlin later wrote and testified that the sisters “refused” to participate—an assertion she later recanted when confronted with her own case file.
Independent review was harshly critical of the county’s process and findings. Two separate administrative law judges overturned the maltreatment determinations, concluding they were not supported by the evidence and criticizing the investigation for inadequate notice, poor fact-gathering, and lack of persuasive support. One judge described Cahlin as “evasive and argumentative,” while the other said her testimony was “contradictory and untruthful at times.” The issues continued through her deposition where Cahlin tried to “defend the indefensible,” said Robins Kaplan partner Andrew Noel.
Procedural due process imposes constraints on governmental action that deprives people of “liberty” or “property.” Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 322 (1976). The relationship of love and duty in a recognized family unit is an interest in liberty entitled to constitutional protection.” Lehr v. Robertson, 463 U.S. 248, 258 (1983). In addition, a public employee’s liberty interest is implicated when subjected to “accusations . . . so damaging as to make it difficult or impossible for the employee to escape the stigma of those charges.” Winegar v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., 20 F.3d 895, 899 (8th Cir. 1994).
In deposition testimony, Cahlin said she viewed the sisters’ decision to hire attorneys as a “red flag” and acknowledged that her case file appeared to show the sisters had cooperated with the investigation. It appeared from the file that critical decisions were made prematurely or even predetermined. Cahlin admitted in deposition that she deleted all case-related text messages from her phone immediately after the investigative case was closed, contrary to Minnesota’s statutory ten-year retention period. Despite all this, Cahlin had not been disciplined by Mahnomen County for any of her missteps.
The stigma associated with falsely labeling a mother and an aunt as sexual abusers of their own sons and nephews is unimaginable. Amy felt helpless and desperate. She isolated herself as much as possible for that 543 days instead of having to explain why her kids weren’t with her. Karley chose teaching as a profession. Mahnomen County’s determination came dangerously close to taking that away from her. The maltreatment determination and its real and potential consequences consumed her life.
The Thorson sisters were powerful advocates for themselves. After years of unwillingness to acknowledge any responsibility, a Mahnomen County Social Services supervisor testified in the civil rights lawsuit that the County owed Amy and Karley apologies. The Thorsons were reunited with the kids after the DHS findings. Both women spent time and money fighting Mahnomen County throughout the investigation and DHS appeals. The federal civil rights lawsuit got them long overdue accountability. The case ultimately ended in early December 2025 with a $3.25 million settlement. Cahlin signed a separation agreement with Mahnomen County, ending her employment on December 31, 2025.
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