LOS ANGELES — A monumental $4 billion settlement has been reached in Los Angeles County to address almost 7,000 claims of sexual abuse occurring within juvenile facilities since 1959. This proposed settlement, which still awaits the nod from the Los Angeles County board of supervisors, is poised to become the largest of its kind in the history of the United States.
In recent years, several significant settlements have been negotiated between organizations and victims of sexual abuse, highlighting the ongoing battle for justice and accountability.
In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles concluded an $800 million settlement with victims of clergy sexual abuse, raising the total payouts by the archdiocese—which encompasses Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties—to over $1.5 billion.
Two years earlier, in 2022, the Boy Scouts of America secured a $2.6 billion settlement with more than 80,000 men who reported being molested as children by scout leaders. At that time, it was deemed the largest sexual abuse settlement in the nation’s history.
Back in 2021, the University of Southern California consented to an $852 million settlement with over 700 women who accused the university’s long-serving gynecologist of sexual misconduct. When added to another settlement of a separate class-action lawsuit, USC’s payout for claims against Dr. George Tyndall, who served the institution for nearly thirty years, exceeded $1 billion.
In 2018, Michigan State University agreed to a $500 million settlement with more than 300 women and girls who alleged abuse by sports doctor Larry Nassar. In a separate case, the U.S. Justice Department settled for $138.7 million with over 100 individuals who accused the FBI of severely mishandling their reports of sexual assault against Nassar during 2015 and 2016. That same year, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis unveiled a $210 million settlement with 450 victims as part of its bankruptcy reorganization efforts.
Going back to 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles settled clergy sexual abuse cases involving 508 victims for $660 million. Concurrently, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to pay $198 million to resolve 400 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by priests and others.
In 2003, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, recognized as one of the most significant dioceses in the country, reached an $85 million settlement to conclude over 500 clergy sex-abuse lawsuits. This landmark settlement launched widespread reports of clerical abuse and covert practices by the church both nationally and internationally.