A Suffolk County legislative panel has sued County Social Services Commissioner Frances Pierre to obtain records related to the death of 8-year-old Long Island boy.
Prosecutors said Thomas Valva died in January 2020, after he and his brother were forced to sleep overnight in an unheated garage.
Their father, Michael Valva, and his fiancee, Angela Polina, have pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment.
The panel investigating his death had subpoenaed all records related to the Valva family last month, but Pierre has refused to release any information from social services.
He claims that state law does not allow the department to release any records to the legislature. However, a commissioner is able to release records if a child has died under the law.
The panel was formed to come up with recommendations to change Suffolk County Child Protective Services in the hopes that it will prevent another tragedy.