🚨NO WHITE SUPREMACISTS INVOLVED🚨
🚨NO ISLAMIC JIHADISTS INVOLVED🚨
Fox 11 Los Angeles published April 4, 2025: LA County's $4B settlement for thousands of sex abuse cases at juvenile facilities.
Los Angeles County has agreed to a $4 billion settlement for thousands of claims of sexual assault at juvenile detention centers for decades.
Fox11 News, Los Angeles, CA local
written by FOX 11 Digital Team
Friday April 4, 2025
Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of sexual assault? Help is available. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) provides a 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has agreed to settle thousands of childhood sexual abuse claims for $4 billion. If approved, the settlement would be the costliest in county history.
Thousands of cases of sexual abuse
By the numbers: LA County announced the settlement agreement on Friday. The money, if approved, will go to more than 6,800 accusers dating as far back as 1959 — nearly 70 years. Split between the accusers, the settlement payments would average to just under $600,000 a person.
County officials said most of the claims are from between the 1980s and 2000s. The majority of the accusers said they were assaulted at county Probation Department facilities and the MacLaren Children's Center, which closed permanently in 2003.
Attorneys who represented many of the accusers claimed their clients were "mistreated, tortured and sexually abused," at county probation halls and camps, and that while supervisors knew about the alleged abuse, they didn't do anything about it.
What they're saying: LA County's Chief Executive Officer apologized to the accusers for what she called "reprehensible acts" at county detention facilities.
"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," Fesia Davenport said.
"This landmark settlement represents restorative justice for victims," said Patrick McNicholas, one of the attorneys representing a large group of the accusers.
How will LA County pay for the settlement?
In a statement on Friday, the county said the agreement "will have a significant impact on the County's budget for years to come."
The county will use money from reserve funds, bonds and money recouped from budget cuts. The county will pay out the money annually over the next 25 years.
What is California AB 218?
Dig deeper: Many of the claims settled on Friday stemmed from California AB 218, which went into effect in 2020.
California AB 218 expands the definition of childhood sexual assault, and increases the statute of limitations for reporting those crimes. Previously, victims had up until they were 21 years old to file a claim.
Now, the bill allows victims to report childhood sex assault cases until they're 40 years old, or up to five years after discovery of the crime, whichever is later.
When could settlement money go out?
What's next: The LA County Claims Board will vote on the settlement on April 7. If approved, it will head to the County Board of Supervisors on April 29. After that, the money can be distributed to the victims.
While Friday's settlement impacts thousands of sexual abuse cases, the county says there are still several claims that need to be dealt with. Officials did not say exactly how many remained.
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