In largest settlement in its history, LA County approves $4 billion in massive child abuse case

In what is the largest settlement in L.A. County history, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $4 billion payout for thousands of people who said they were sexually abused as children while in the county’s care.

The landmark settlement may also be one of the largest — if not the largest — in a sex abuse case in U.S. history, according to the attorneys.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021, and grew to include claims against several county departments, including Probation, Children and Family Services, Parks and Recreation, Health Services, Sheriff and Fire.

The claims were filed against the county under a change to state law that went into effect in 2020 that waived the statute of limitations on such cases and allowed victims of childhood sexual abuse to come forward within a three-year window.

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Some of the claims date as far back as 1959, with most being from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Some are alleged to have happened at Probation Department facilities and at the MacLaren Children’s Center, which closed in 2003.

The county said investigations into those claims are ongoing, and two cases have been referred to the district attorney for possible prosecution.

The supervisors issued a joint statement, saying its members acknowledged the suffering of all who were victimized by “these deplorable acts.”

“No child should ever be subjected to sexual abuse — and that is particularly true of the vulnerable young people entrusted to the County’s care,” the statement read.

Comments from survivors

About 7,000 people who claimed they were abused by county employees are expected to receive a portion of the settlement.

“This is the largest sex assault settlement in U.S. history —- bigger than Boy Scouts or Catholic Church, " said Todd Becker, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. "It is also the largest settlement of any kind by a county in U.S. history."

Adam Slater, another attorney in the case, said the people abused by county workers have had to deal with a lifetime of consequences, and he hopes the settlement brings “some measure of closure.”

Some of them spoke during Tuesday’s public meeting and shared their feelings about what happened to them.

Scott Brougham, now 64, said he “went through hell” when he was held in a L.A. County juvenile hall starting when he was 14.

“If you want to know who the victims are, we’re still here,” Brougham said. “And there should be accountability.”

Another speaker — who called into the meeting and gave his name only as John Doe — stressed that while the amount of the settlement may be unprecedented, it isn't the point.

“We were children, we were not a number, we were not a line item on a budget report,” the man said. “We were children.”

The county has said that monetary awards from the settlement to individual claimants will be determined and administered by an independent team of experts.

Impacts from the settlement

Calling it "the costliest financial settlement in the history of L.A. County," local authorities said in a news release earlier this month that it would have a "significant" impact on the county budget for years to come. The money is expected to come from reserve funds, judgment obligation bonds and cuts in departmental budgets.

The county expects to make annual payments through fiscal year 2050-51.

Becker, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said the settlement was based on "seeking justice for thousands of victims dating back to 1959, and at the same time were focused on affordability for the county in keeping them out of bankruptcy.”

On Tuesday, the supervisors acknowledged the financial impact of the settlement, but stressed a need for change within county systems.

“To meaningfully arrest this systemic issue, we’re going to have to lean in hard,” Supervisor Holly Mitchell said before the vote. ”A financial payout is one thing, but eventually everyone wants this behavior to stop.”

Supervisor Janice Hahn said department heads need to be held accountable to be sure this behavior doesn’t continue. She recommended the county look into options to immediately fire and pull county pensions for employees who are found to have committed sexual assault.

Hahn also noted that some improper, possibly criminal, abuses of power have continued among some members of county staff. She noted that the District Attorney's Office has filed charges against 30 probation officers accused of instigating fights between minors at county juvenile halls.

The county has said the Department of Children and Family Services and the Probation Department have made policy changes and reforms in recent years and are working to institute more. Some would require legislative changes, the county added.

Some of the proposed reforms include:

• Creating a countywide hotline for reporting child sexual abuse allegations against county employees.
• Developing a system to expedite investigations and conduct independent review by outside experts.
• Enhancing county policy so it can take immediate action, including termination and referral to law enforcement, when allegations of child sexual abuse committed by an employee are substantiated.