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County Reaches $4 Billion Tentative Agreement to Settle Thousands of Sex Abuse Claims
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Los Angeles County has reached a tentative $4 billion settlement to resolve more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims dating back to the 1950s, it announced Friday.
The proposal will be presented to the county’s Claims Board today. If the committee greenlights the resolution, it will be passed on to the Board of Supervisors for final consideration on April 29.
If approved, the settlement will be the costliest in history for the nation’s most populous county and likely have long-lasting budgetary impacts. The possible payout would likely be the largest aggregate sexual abuse payout in U.S. history, surpassing the previous record-breaking $2.6 billion payment by the Boy Scouts of America to victims claiming molestation by group leaders.
In Friday’s press release, Los Angeles County said that the agreement would resolve most—but not all—of the claims filed against it since the approval of Assembly Bill 218, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019. The statute provides for an increase in the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims.
The legislative counsel’s digest says of AB 218::
“This bill would increase the time limit for commencing an action for recovery of damages suffered as a result of childhood sexual assault to 22 years from the date the plaintiff attains the age of majority or within 5 years of the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that the psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by sexual assault, whichever is later.”
Flooded With Claims
After enactment of the bill, the county was flooded with claims by victims alleging sexual abuse. Most of the claims relate to incidents occurring at the MacLaren Children’s Center, a former El Monte emergency shelter for children awaiting foster placement, or at facilities operated by the Probation Department.
The MacLaren Children’s Center, which sometimes housed children for months at a time, was permanently closed in 2003 after years of accusations of sexual abuse and a federal lawsuit, filed earlier that year, asserting that the county neglected the needs of mentally ill children. In 1984, five MacLaren Hall employees were arrested on charges including molestation and selling drugs to minors. In 2022, attorneys with McNicholas & McNicholas LLP and Pasadena-based Becker Law Group filed a complaint against the county on behalf of 1,200 plaintiffs who claim that they suffered sexual abuse at Los Angeles County juvenile probation centers.
Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport is proposing new reforms in the wake of the proposal, including the creation of a hotline for reporting sexual abuse allegations against employees, developing a system for expedited investigations and independent review by outside experts, and a zero-tolerance policy requiring “immediate action,” including termination, when allegations are substantiated.
Patrick McNicholas, a partner in the Westwood law firm of McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, responded to the tentative settlement in a statement, saying:
“This landmark settlement represents restorative justice for victims. Restorative justice is a societal recognition that a horrible wrong has been committed and compensation is justified.
“By balancing justice for the victims with a commitment to reform, this resolution ensures both acknowledgment of past wrongs and a pathway to a safer, more accountable future.”
Individual Claims
Upon approval, the awards to individual claimants will be determined and administered by an independent team of experts.
County officials said that payment for the settlement will include “cash from reserve funds, issuance of judgment obligation bonds and proposed cuts in departmental budgets.” They added:
“The financing will require annual payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars through 2030 and substantial continuing annual payments through fiscal year 2050-51.”
Davenport responded to Friday’s announcement, saying: “On behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts. The historic scope of this settlement makes clear that we are committed to helping the survivors recover and rebuild their lives—and to making and enforcing the systemic changes needed to keep young people safe.”
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