Los Angeles County agrees to $4 billion abuse settlement

Los Angeles County has reached a $4 billion settlement to resolve thousands of sexual abuse claims from foster care and juvenile detention facilities, in what could become the largest deal of its kind.

Los Angeles County in the United States has reached a $4 billion agreement to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities dating back to 1959.

The settlement, which still requires approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, far exceeds the $2.6 billion deal reached in 2022 with the Boy Scouts of America — previously the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.

The agreement would resolve lawsuits filed by thousands of individuals who allege they were mistreated and sexually abused while in foster care and juvenile detention centers in Los Angeles County.

According to court documents filed by the plaintiffs, children at these facilities were routinely subjected to solitary confinement, forcibly drugged, and restrained in chairs.

News of the massive proposed payout comes as Los Angeles County — the most populous in the United States, with around 10 million residents — faces growing financial pressures on its $49 billion annual budget.

Copied