It was 1 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2022, when Waltham Police and employees from the Department of Children and Families showed up to the Sabey home without a warrant to take the kids into custody.

Sarah Perkins and Joshua Sabey know how lucky they are, though you would never use the word “lucky” given what they’ve been through.

A couple is suing the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and Waltham police and city officials alleging civil rights violations after their children were removed from their Waltham home last year without a warrant amid suspicion of child abuse.

Sarah Perkins and Joshua Sabey allege their civil rights were violated when their two young sons were taken from their Waltham home in the middle of the night last July.

The lawsuit accuses four Waltham officers and four Department of Children and Families employees of violating the couple's civil rights.

Josh Sabey and Sarah Perkins say their civil rights were violated after DCF workers and police officers showed up without a warrant to remove their two children

Lawmakers and family rights advocates are pushing to pass a measure that would set up protections for parents when dealing with the Department of Children and Family Services.

The baby woke up wailing just after 2 a.m., and the moment Sarah Perkins lifted her 14-week-old son, Cal, into her arms, she knew he had a fever.

Dr. Barbara Knox left Wisconsin and Alaska amid allegations of workplace bullying and wrongful diagnoses of child abuse; she now practices in Florida.

ABA Center on Children and the Law