Mom of tragic 8-year-old who froze to death in NYPD dad’s garage refuses to sign $9M settlement

A $9 million federal settlement in the brutal Long Island freezing death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva at the hands of his ex-NYPD dad fell apart Tuesday — with the boy’s mom saying it’s not enough.

Justyna Zubko-Valva, the tragic youngster’s mother, accused her own lawyers of misconduct for agreeing to the deal and refused to sign off on the agreement with Suffolk County during a tense two-hour conference court Friday, sources close to the case told The Post.

“I’m at a loss as to what to do here,” Judge Edward Korman said after the grieving mom refused to sign her name on the documents, according to Newsday. 

Her refusal to sign came as she told the judge that she desperately needed money quickly to prevent having her house foreclosed on — triggering a stunning breakdown in the long-running case.

The settlement, which was put together in September, is now in limbo with no clear path ahead.

“I understand that you won’t agree to sign a settlement. If that’s correct, there’s nothing more I can do,” Korman told Newsday.  

Thomas Valva’s senseless death in January 2020 rattled the quiet Suffolk County community.

The boy froze to death after his cop dad, Michael Valva, and his then-fiancée, Angela Pollina, repeatedly abused the autistic 8-year old and forced him to sleep in a frigid, unheated garage. 

Both were later convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Zubko-Valva sued Suffolk County for $200 million in 2022 for failing to protect her son despite repeated complaints of abuse and neglect to the county’s Child Protective Services — but told the judge last week that $9 million was not enough to address the suffering her family was subjected to, the outlet said.

Legal experts who are closely following the case said the judge may still push a settlement through.

During Friday’s conference, Zubko-Valva also raised concerns that the terms of the deal had shifted, telling the court she had previously been led to believe she would receive most of the money, with smaller portions set aside for her surviving sons’ futures, sources said. 

She also accused her attorneys of forging her signature and prolonging the case for a higher cut in attorney’s fees, the sources added.

“It’s a money grab,” one source told The Post, detailing that Zubko-Valva does not want to split the settlement with her children, pay attorneys’ fees, or owe taxes on the payout — and feels she should receive more money if those obligations remain in place.

Her attorneys have disputed her claims of misconduct and forgery, and told the court they have repeatedly tried to meet with her to finalize the needed paperwork, but she refuses, according to Newsday. 

“The Liakas Law firm fought successfully for a $9 client million settlement and systemic changes to protect NY children. We have no involvement with any internal family disputes,” Hank Sheinkopf, a spokesman for the law firm, told The Post.

Zubko-Valva couldn’t be reached for comment.