In a significant development that highlights a decades-long issue, Los Angeles County has decided to disburse $4 billion to resolve nearly 7,000 claims concerning sexual abuse that occurred in its juvenile facilities dating back to 1959. This judgment, finalized on April 4, outstrips the prior record settlement involving the Boy Scouts of America, which amounted to $2.6 billion in 2022 and held the title for the largest collective settlement for sexual abuse claims in the United States at that time.
On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors made a unanimous decision to ratify the agreement that addresses a host of lawsuits filed by individuals claiming they encountered sexual abuse and maltreatment within Los Angeles County’s foster care and juvenile detention systems. These legal claims were made possible by a California statute enacted in 2020, temporarily lifting the statute of limitations on childhood sex abuse cases, allowing survivors a window of three years to pursue legal action.
Adam Slater, representing some of the plaintiffs, remarked that, although financial compensation cannot undo the suffering endured, the settlement underscores the severe emotional and physical harm inflicted on numerous children over the years. Many of the allegations centered around the MacLaren Children’s Center, an institution that operated from 1961 until its closure in 2003. Initially meant as a temporary refuge for children awaiting foster placement, oversight of the facility transitioned from probation officials to the county’s Department of Children and Family Services in 1976.
Within the legal complaints lodged by victims, one individual recounted being sexually assaulted by a doctor at the MacLaren facility at the tender age of eight, while another described being attacked by a staff member in a bathroom at five years old. Restraining practices, the administration of drugs, and solitary confinement were reportedly routine at the center.
In response to the settlement, Fesia Davenport, the county’s chief executive, expressed a heartfelt apology to the victims on behalf of Los Angeles County, condemning the reprehensible acts perpetrated over the years. The county’s decision to settle underscores a broader context in which it is navigating fiscal constraints, balancing an annual budget of $49 billion to serve its approximately 10 million residents.