The family of a girl allegedly murdered by her father in Federal Way has filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming the Department of Children, Youth and Families was negligent, among other claims.

On Feb. 3, on behalf of the estate of 5-year-old Soo Jin Hahn, whose father, Woo Jin Hahn, is accused of killing her, attorney Loren Cochran filed a lawsuit, specifically a complaint for damages, against Washington state.

The lawsuit claims that as a direct and proximate result of Washington state’s unreasonable, grossly negligent, and/or reckless conduct, Soo Jin Hahn was brutally beaten and tortured, and experienced immeasurable pain and suffering before her violent death. The lawsuit claims this conduct was done on behalf of Washington state’s agency, the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), within its Child Protective Services (CPS) division.

Cochran said Soo Jin Hahn’s great-grandmother on her mother’s side of the family is the representative of the child’s estate. Cochran said that Soo Jin Hahn’s mother died from cancer in September 2020 at age 21.

The lawsuit follows a tort claim filed on Oct. 9, 2025. Before a lawsuit can be filed, the state has 60 days to respond to a tort claim. According to Cochran, he did not hear any substantive response from the state within 60 days of the tort claim’s filing.

Soo Jin Hahn’s death

Soo Jin Hahn died on May 29, 2025, at her home in Federal Way. Her father, Woo Jin Hahn, was initially charged with second-degree assault of a child, two counts of third-degree assault of a child, fourth-degree assault and interfering with domestic violence reporting. His charges were amended on Sept. 23, 2025, to homicide by abuse, second-degree assault of a child and two counts of third-degree assault of a child.

Cierra Fisher, who also lived at the home of Woo Jin Hahn and Soo Jin Hahn, was charged with first-degree assault of a child after being accused of assaulting Soo Jin Hahn, and third-degree assault for allegedly assaulting one of the other children in their home.

According to charging documents, Woo Jin Hahn said that on the day before the Soo Jin Hahn died, he got frustrated with her, so he tied her hands up above her head and then began to punch her as hard as he could. Woo Jin Hahn said that when he became frustrated with Soo Jin Hahn, it was normal for him to have a physical reaction once or twice a week, and he said his snapping points would result in bruises that would last two to three days.

“Police on the scene report that Hahn, when asked if his actions led to the death of his daughter, responded ‘yes,’” according to documents.

According to the lawsuit, Soo Jin Hahn’s autopsy report found that she died from a circulatory collapse involving both dehydration and multiple blunt force injuries. She suffered at least 52 separate injuries across her body. Additionally, she was found to have levels of diphenhydramine in her body likely to produce sedation.

Details of the lawsuit

Beginning shortly after Soo Jin Hahn’s birth, DCYF began receiving reports of domestic violence, neglect and child abuse in her home for about five years. The lawsuit claims that despite five years of documented concerns about Soo Jin Hahn’s welfare and concerns about the other children in her home, DCYF failed to create a safety plan, file a dependency petition, and take any meaningful action to protect Soo Jin or the other children in the home.

The first investigation began the year Soo Jin Hahn was born, when a medical provider reported concerns of neglect regarding the child’s failure to receive necessary medical follow-up. There were then two other reports of Soo Jin Hahn not receiving necessary medical care, but the investigations were closed because CPS reported that it could not locate the family and in one instance DCYF allegedly wrongly logged the report.

According to the lawsuit, children who lived at Soo Jin Hahn’s home reported that they were being hit with a stick, leaving marks and bruises as recent as January 2025, less than a year before the child’s death. In one instance in 2022, CPS concluded that the children were safe in Fisher’s care and closed the investigation. In another instance in 2023, a CPS investigation was allegedly initiated.

Following the 2023 incident, a CPS worker went to Soo Jin Hahn’s home, saw her and other children, but could not make contact with their mother, in that instance and on two other instances. Because CPS was unable to reach the mother, they closed the investigation citing that they could not locate the family.

“Notably, this reasoning was provided despite CPS knowing exactly where the family resided, witnessing Soo Jin within the residence where physical abuse was reported, and receiving direct uninvestigated reports of child abuse and neglect concerning Soo Jin from medical providers only months earlier,” the lawsuit said.

According to the lawsuit, in April 2025 — approximately a month before her death — a case worker observed a large concerning bruise on Soo Jin Hahn’s face, but her father told the caseworker that she rolled over while sleeping, hitting her face on a wall heater in the process.

“CPS completed its assessment and determined the children were safe, in large part because the ‘parents were transparent about their actions and were cooperative in adjusting their disciplinary methods,’” the lawsuit stated. “No medical examination of Soo Jin was requested by the investigator to confirm her abusive father’s explanation of the facial bruising.”

Cochran said he believes if DCYF and CPS had taken more action, there’s a high likelihood that Soo Jin Hahn would still be alive today. Cochran said now the only remedy available is money, as the civil justice system is limited to only giving out monetary consequences. Cochran said the civil justice system cannot criminally punish, and it cannot demand specific relief like terminations or re-training, but nothing creates greater institutional change than a monetary damages award in a civil case.

This article included reporting from a previous Mirror story.