Upper Dublin School District. Photo by James Short.
Half-sisters of the Chester County child file suit against state, two counties, and multiple schools
Upper Dublin School District (UDSD) has been named as one of several entities in a lawsuit filed surrounding the case of Malinda Hoagland, 12, of Chester County. The Greater Philadelphia region was stunned to hear of the death of a 12-year-old girl and was even more disturbed to hear of the alleged causes stemming from abuse in the child’s home. Now, as her father Rendell Hoagland, and a woman, Cindy Warren, face charges stemming from her May death, the UDSD may also face a share of the responsibility, according to the filed suit.
The three half-sisters of Hoagland have filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Pennsylvania state court and in federal courts against the state itself, Chester and Monroe counties, as well as the USDS and Coatesville Area School District. Additional schools, such as North Brandywine Middle School, Horace S. Scott Middle School, and Commonwealth Charter Academy are also among those educational entities named in the suit. According to reports, the sisters are alleging that the defendants negligently missed red flags, including that Warren, the father’s girlfriend, had a prior child abuse conviction.
According to court documents, Rendell Hogland, 52, and his girlfriend Warren, 45, both of West Caln Township in Chester County, were arrested on May 6, 2024, and have been charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, though the official charges number in the hundreds.
An autopsy of Malinda reported that she died of “starvation and multiple blunt-force injuries.” The 12-year-old child weighed only 50 pounds at the time of death, according to police reports, and had around 75 bruises, contusions, and sores on her body. Search warrants granted police access to videos and text messages between the two accused adults depicting Malinda being chained to furniture, verbally berated, and beaten. One report noted she had a rug burn to her cheek so severe she had to attend online schooling, as the injury could not be covered by make-up.
According to reports, police said that Malinda was taken to Paoli Hospital’s Trauma Unit after Rendell called 911, stating his daughter hit a tree while riding her bike, around 12:30 a.m. on May 4. Malinda died that night, wihle in surgery, according to police, shortly before 10 p.m.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said, in a recent press conference, that he would be seeking the death penalty in the case, adding that the investigation had discovered “a years-long pattern of extensive torture and abuse.”
According to the lawyer handling the suit filed by the girls’ half-sisters, Tom Bosworth, it alleges “wrongful death, repeated violations of the state-created Danger Doctrine, and overall egregious negligence and recklessness, reflected in multiple additional claims,” among the suit’s allegations.
“The civil claims seek to ensure that full and complete accountability will be achieved for the heinous actions of the educators, case workers, and institutions who all failed Malinda miserably,” said Bosworth in a statement.
Edward Diasio, Esq., the solicitor for Upper Dublin School District did not return Wissahickon Now’s phone calls for comment. The school board’s president and vice president declined to respond to our emails.
