April 4, 2025
Contact:
Countywide Communications:
pio@ceo.lacounty.gov
LA County Reaches $4 Billion Tentative Settlement in Thousands of Sexual Abuse Cases
If approved, settlement will be the costliest in County history, with long-lasting budgetary impacts.
Los Angeles County has reached a $4 billion tentative agreement to settle more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims dating back to 1959. The settlement now must be approved by the LA County Claims Board and the Board of Supervisors.
If approved, the settlement would resolve most—but not all—of the claims filed against the County under AB 218, which went into effect in 2020, waiving the statute of limitations and providing a 3-year window to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to come forward.
If the settlement is approved, the awards to individual claimants will be determined and administered by an independent team of allocation experts.
“On behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,” Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport said. “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.”
The majority of the claims date from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and are alleged to have happened at Probation Department facilities and at the MacLaren Children’s Center, which was permanently closed in 2003. Investigations are continuing, and two cases have been referred to the District Attorney for possible prosecution.
This is the costliest financial settlement in the history of LA County and will have a significant impact on the County’s budget for years to come. The County’s plan to pay for the settlement includes cash from reserve funds, issuance of judgment obligation bonds and proposed cuts in departmental budgets.
The financing will require annual payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars through 2030 and substantial continuing annual payments through fiscal year 2050-51.
The settlement is expected to go before the Claims Board on April 7. If approved, it will proceed to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration on April 29.
DCFS and Probation have instituted numerous reforms over the years:
LA County Reforms and Policy Changes Addressing Sexual Abuse of Minors
Additional proposed reforms are being developed or are underway, including advocacy for legislative changes and forward-looking strategies, that include improvements in prevention, reporting, discipline and mitigation of risk. This includes how the County manages potential future sexual abuse claims on a faster track with quicker resolutions.
Reforms proposed by the CEO and County’s Risk Management team, which would require major policy and legislative shifts, include:
- Creating a Countywide Hotline for reporting child sexual abuse allegations against County employees
- Developing a system for expedited investigations and independent review by outside experts
- Enhancing the County’s Zero Tolerance policy to ensure that when allegations of child sexual abuse committed by an employee are substantiated, the County will take immediate action to the fullest extent allowed by law, including but not limited to termination and referral to law enforcement.
- Requiring County departments to provide notice to new employees and applicants of the County’s Zero Tolerance policy and intent to discipline to the fullest extent allowed by law.