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Several media outlets including The Guardian reported late Friday that Los Angeles County has tentatively agreed to pay $828 million to settle more than 400 additional sexual abuse claims involving county employees. The new agreement comes just six months after officials approved a record-breaking $4 billion settlement with roughly 11,000 claimants alleging sexual abuse in Los Angeles juvenile facilities dating back decades.
The latest $828 million settlement still requires approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the county claims board. “Our settlements balance our obligation to compensate victims and treat their experiences with compassion, with the need to put strong protections in place to protect taxpayers from fraud,” said Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
County officials said that about 2,500 additional unresolved cases remain and that number could continue to rise. The financial strain from these settlements has intensified following wildfires that devastated the region earlier this year. Authorities emphasized that every claim will undergo a credibility review, and any determined to be fraudulent will not receive payment.
Investigations are ongoing after allegations that some people were paid to file false claims.
The lawsuits span back to 1959 and include allegations of mistreatment and sexual abuse in both foster care and juvenile detention facilities. Many claimants were able to come forward due to a 2020 California law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, allowing survivors to file claims within a three-year window.
Officials said efforts to verify the allegations were hindered by missing records, the large number of cases, and court-imposed limits on discovery. Under the $4 billion settlement, individual payouts ranged between $100,000 and $3 million. If the new $828 million deal is approved, awards will depend on the severity of the alleged abuse.
In its statement, the county said claims in the April settlement will face additional scrutiny.
New safeguards are being implemented, including a hotline for reporting child sexual abuse allegations against county employees, expected to launch by year’s end.
However, officials warned that the wave of lawsuits has placed severe financial pressure on Los Angeles County, forcing cuts to essential public programs. “LA County and other local governments must balance their obligations to past victims with the need to avoid ruinous financial impacts that would undermine the very social safety net services that our young people, families and communities depend on today,” said acting county chief executive Joe Nicchitta.
The earlier $4 billion settlement remains the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history, surpassing the $2.6 billion settlement reached in 2022 with the Boy Scouts of America.
[Editor’s note: The Wall Street Journal reported in June that the cost to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by the Boy Scouts of America has surged past $7 billion, more than double the $3.6 billion forecast in the organization’s 2022 bankruptcy plan.]
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse in a county-run facility, foster care system, or juvenile detention center, you still have legal rights. Survivors across California are coming forward to hold institutions accountable for decades of abuse. Visit SurvivorsRights.com’s Institutional Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Guide to learn your legal options and take the first step toward justice and healing.
