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LA County DA investigating potentially fraudulent claims filed in sex abuse settlement
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is looking into fake claims of childhood sexual abuse filed against the county as part of two large settlements it approved earlier this year.
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Robert Gauthier
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman says his office is looking into allegations that people filed fake claims of childhood sexual abuse as part of two large settlements the L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved this year.
Potential amnesty: Hochman said anyone who filed a fraudulent claim and comes forward to cooperate with his office could potentially avoid prosecution. He said his office would offer something called "use immunity," which he said means someone who comes forward and shares complete, truthful information about a fraudulent claim they filed would, in exchange, not have those words used against them in court. He would not go as far as to say that doing so would protect them from prosecution.
" It's not a guarantee, but it is certainly a significant factor in deciding of the probably what will amount to hundreds of cases, potential cases that we might have, which ones we go forward on and which ones we don't."
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The backstory: In April, L.A. County supervisors approved a $4 billion settlement for thousands of people who said they were sexually abused as children while under the county's supervision. 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. In late October, the Board signed off on a second payout of $828 million for a separate batch of claims.
Why it matters: Hochman said it will ultimately be taxpayers footing the bill for those two sums, and he wants to make sure L.A. County taxpayers aren't on the hook for fake claims.
" That'll be you and me paying for that," Hochman said. "That'll be our children paying for it. ... These are valuable dollars that otherwise could go to other purposes."
Why now: The D.A.'s announcement follows a unanimous vote by L.A. County supervisors last month to direct the county counsel to investigate fraudulent claims. Days before the vote, the L.A. Times reported some plaintiffs were paid cash in exchange for agreeing to work with a law firm to sue the county.
What's next: The D.A.'s office says anyone with information about false sex abuse claims can call the hotline for the investigation at (844) 901-0001, or report it online.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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