The settlement, which still needs formal approval, covers more than 6,800 claims of abuse, some of which date back to 1959.
By Shawn Huber, New York Times – April 4, 2025
Los Angeles County has agreed to pay a staggering $4 billion to settle sex abuse claims from generations of children in its juvenile detention and foster care systems in what lawyers said would be the largest payout of its kind in U.S. history.
The sweeping agreement, announced Friday, was the latest in a wave of settlements precipitated by a 2019 state law that dramatically expanded the number of child sexual abuse lawsuits filed against municipalities and school districts. The settlement is expected to be formally approved over the next two weeks by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the county’s claims board, covering more than 6,800 claims of childhood sexual abuse that date as far back as 1959.
Most of the cases stem from abuse allegations that occurred in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s at probation and foster care facilities, county officials said.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/us/los-angeles-county-plans-to-pay-4-billion-to-settle-sex-abuse-claims.html