Judge denies request to unseal file on Bruce Jackson

Confidential records concerning the care of Bruce Jackson, found nearly starved to death in his adoptive Collingswood home in 2003, will remain under seal, a judge decided Monday.

"I do not see a reason to invade Mr. Jackson's privacy," Superior Court Judge Mary Eva Colalillo said in denying a request by The Inquirer to unseal Jackson's file, which could include information on his education, finances, and job training.

Colalillo said she would review medical records to determine whether an additional advocate is needed for Jackson.

Jackson, 25, has been declared incompetent and is living in Gloucester County in a group home for the developmentally disabled.

The Inquirer petitioned the court to unseal Jackson's files this month after publishing several stories in which advocates for the disabled raised concerns about the lack of transparency in Jackson's case.

In interviews, the brothers whom Jackson grew up with complained that they had been permitted to visit him only once in four years and had limited phone conversations with him that were at times cut off by staff at the group home.

Questions also arose over whether Jackson, who has a trust fund worth more than $5 million, was receiving the services he requires. The fund has been used to provide dental care and a video-game system and to pay attorneys. Lawyers reportedly created a will for Jackson that also has been kept private.

In 2003, Jackson and his adoptive brothers - ages 9, 10, and 14 - made national headlines after neighbors found Jackson rummaging for food in garbage cans outside his home. Investigators were shocked to learn that Jackson, who weighed only 45 pounds and stood 4 feet tall, was 19 years old.

The boys' mother, Vanessa Jackson, was convicted of endangering the welfare of children and served four years in a state prison before her release in February. Her husband, Raymond Sr., was charged but died of a stroke.

The three younger boys were adopted by James Parrish, a Cumberland County youth minister, and his wife, Amber.

The four siblings received a $12.5 million settlement because the workers for the state Division of Youth and Family Services failed to enforce basic rules and ignored the boys' conditions during their oversight.

The state remains the guardian for Bruce Jackson, who has court-appointed North Jersey lawyer Michael Critchley to handle legal matters and Westmont lawyer William Tambussi to review financial transactions.

At Monday's hearing before Colalillo, in Camden, Haddonfield lawyer John Connell argued on behalf of The Inquirer that court records normally are public and that the case demanded transparency, given the state's role in the case.

Tambussi and Critchley, who work pro bono, argued against unsealing the record. Deputy Attorney General Kim Jenkins also argued to keep the records sealed.

Tambussi said the file contains medical information. Releasing the material would violate Jackson's privacy, he said, and it would not be in Jackson's best interest and would serve no benefit to the public.

Colalillo's denial of The Inquirer's request was "a blow to the transparency of mental-health patient treatment," Connell said after the hearing. He pointed out that the same entity held liable for the mistreatment of Jackson was overseeing his care.

"That alone cries out for transparency," he said.