In what is now the largest settlement of its kind in U.S. history, Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $4 billion to nearly 7,000 survivors of sexual abuse at county-run juvenile facilities and foster homes. While hailed as a significant milestone in justice for victims, many say no amount of compensation can undo the damage inflicted by a broken system that for decades protected abusers and silenced the most vulnerable.
The settlement, unanimously approved by county officials this week, addresses abuse dating back as far as the 1950s, though the majority of cases occurred between the 1980s and early 2000s. At the heart of many claims is the now defunct MacLaren Children’s Center, a foster shelter once meant to provide temporary care but which became a long-term holding ground rife with abuse, neglect, and systemic failure.
Survivors described harrowing experiences at MacLaren and other county facilities, including being drugged, sexually assaulted, physically beaten, and threatened into silence. A grand jury report revealed that the county had, for years, employed staff with criminal backgrounds. The MacLaren center was ultimately shuttered in 2003 following mounting legal and civil rights pressure, including a lawsuit from the ACLU.
“No one has ever been arrested for what happened to us,” said Jimmy Vigil, 45, who was incarcerated at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall as a teen. He recalled being abused by a physician and brutalized by staff who orchestrated fights among minors for entertainment. “This settlement doesn’t undo what they did,” Vigil said. “They created the monsters they claimed we were.”
Vigil’s words echo a broader sentiment of unresolved pain among survivors. While financial compensation will soon be disbursed, many, including Vigil, say true justice would require criminal prosecution of those responsible.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger described the $4 billion payout as a “sobering reckoning” and an “indictment of failed oversight.” She called the deal historic but said it stemmed from “a dark chapter in our history,” where those trusted to protect children instead inflicted lasting trauma.
The settlement became possible after California passed a 2020 law temporarily lifting the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims, offering a three-year window for survivors to file historic cases. That law unleashed a wave of lawsuits, not only against the county but also against religious organizations, nonprofits, and schools.
Adam Slater, a lead counsel representing more than 3,500 victims, said the true scale of institutional abuse was only revealed once litigation began. “While no amount of money can erase the horrors they endured, this agreement acknowledges the profound harm inflicted on thousands of children,” he said.
Los Angeles County CEO Fesia Davenport offered a formal apology earlier this year, stating the county was committed to “helping survivors recover and rebuild” and to implementing sweeping reforms. Those reforms include a new countywide hotline to report abuse, expedited investigations, and the immediate termination and referral of substantiated offenders to law enforcement.
Despite these promises, critics warn the path to accountability is far from over.
The financial toll of the settlement will ripple across county departments. Annual payments, funded by cash reserves, bonds, and departmental budget cuts, are expected to cost hundreds of millions annually through 2030, with the final payment due in 2050. The county’s $48 billion annual budget will absorb the cost, but officials admit key public services may suffer.
“We are going to be paying hundreds of millions of dollars that could be invested into communities, into parks, libraries, beaches, public social services until 2050,” Davenport told The Los Angeles Times.
Payouts to victims are expected to begin in January 2026.
