Meet the Houston lawyer whose charity work sparked the epic battle over Texas foster care
Houston lawyer Paul Yetter, seen here in his office on Feb. 8, 2023, has spent 12 years in court trying to reform the Texas foster care system.stood at the podium in a Corpus Christi courtroom, quietly watching a federal judge tear apart his case, bit by bit.
Yetter, 64, is one of the few constants in this long-running saga. He has outlasted 10 commissioners appointed by two governors to head the two agencies that oversee foster care. He has weathered changing political winds and changing regimes. He knows every inch of this case and says he’ll see it through until the very end.In a recent report to the court, monitors overseeing state foster care progress were more encouraging than they have been in some time.
But Republican state lawmakers are growing weary of the litigation. It costs too much, they say, and may even hinder the state’s efforts to create enough placements for foster children. They also blame the judge's orders for being too stringent and shutting down good providers. Rick Perry was still governor when the lawsuit was filed, and Greg Abbott the attorney general. The last Harry Potter movie would soon hit theaters. Donald Trump was still hosting The Apprentice.
Some children lived in “therapeutic camps” with only tarps to protect them from the wind and rain. Some were raped by older kids in the same facilities. Some died at the hands of their caregivers.He’s the guy who lets toddlers play with a plastic Pennzoil race car he keeps in his office. He's the baby whisperer who goes from holding one child to the next at the annual office Halloween party filled with screaming kids, blaring music, clowns and chaos.
Virgil wanted better for other kids. After leaving the system, she went to the state Capitol numerous times to testify about the perils she survived. It took Judge Jack a year to render her ruling on the lawsuit. When word came of the decision, Yetter was working in his Houston office. Goldman, the firm lawyer who had pitched the case years earlier, told him the news.Yetter stared at her, pleased but unsurprised.The state kept fighting in court. It won some battles, lost others.
CPS wasn’t making sure every foster child knew their legal rights. They didn’t re-investigate serious allegations of abuse after court monitors raised red flags. They hadn’t documented that all caseworkers were ensuring the safety of kids.
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