LA County agrees to pay $4 billion to settle thousands of foster care sexual abuse claims

Los Angeles County on Friday agreed to pay a whopping $4 billion to settle more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims brought by generations of children in the county's juvenile detention and foster care systems.

Attorneys claim that the settlements, which still need to be approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the county’s claims board, will amount to the largest payout of its kind in American history.

The payout is expected to impact more than 6,800 people with cases stemming as far back as 1959, according to the New York Times. Most of the cases occurred in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, and a significant number took place at the MacLaren Children’s Center in El Monte, California, which has since been shut down.

“On behalf of the county, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,” LA County CEO Fesia Davenport said in a statement. “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 unprecedented settlement stems from a temporary California law in 2019 that widened the ability for public institutions to be sued for sexual abuse that were allegedly committed by employees and widened the window for victims to sue.

The biggest payout for sexual abuse claims so far is the $2.4 billion that was paid to victims who sued the Boy Scouts of America, which was paid out to more than 80,000 victims.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.