Los Angeles County has reached a record-setting $4 billion tentative settlement to resolve more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims, marking the largest financial settlement in the county’s history.
Announced Friday, the agreement would settle decades of lawsuits from individuals who allege they were sexually abused or mistreated while in the county’s foster care system or juvenile detention facilities. The claims span more than six decades, with some dating back as far as 1959.
“This tentative agreement reflects the County’s commitment to taking accountability for the past and providing justice to the survivors,” county officials said in a statement.
The lawsuits accuse county staff, foster parents, and juvenile facility employees of systemic abuse and failures to protect vulnerable children in the county’s care. Many survivors claim their reports of abuse were ignored or mishandled, allowing the mistreatment to continue for years.
Attorneys for the victims said the settlement is a major step toward justice, but also underscored the widespread failures within county institutions responsible for protecting children.
Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services and the Probation Department — both of which have faced criticism and oversight in recent years — are at the center of the claims. Advocates say the scope of abuse and the decades-long inaction reflect a deep institutional crisis.
The county Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on final approval of the settlement in the coming weeks.
If finalized, the deal would eclipse the size of other high-profile abuse-related settlements, including payouts by the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts of America, and could have wide-ranging implications for child welfare reform and oversight in the nation’s most populous county.
By: DNU staff