Local News in Brief : Agency Sues Over Child-Abuse Files

A watchdog agency has gone to court to force the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services to open its child-abuse files on Judith Barsi, the 10-year-old actress who was killed by her father last month.

Judith and her mother, Maria Barsi, were shot and killed last month in their West Hills home by Jozsef Barsi, who set the house on fire and shot himself. It was revealed later that the Children’s Services Department had closed its investigation into the treatment of the child--who had been repeatedly threatened by her father--a month before the killings.

Nancy Daly, chairwoman of the Commission for Children’s Services, an advisory body to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on children’s issues, said the department turned down its request for the file Monday. The department cited privacy issues, Daly said.

As a result, the commission on Tuesday petitioned Juvenile Dependency Court Judge Kathryn Doi Todd to review the documents, the first time in its four-year history that the commission has asked to intervene in such a way.

Daly said the commission has broad concerns about “the criteria for closing a case.”