Los Angeles County reaches tentative $828 million settlement in hundreds of additional sexual abuse cases

Los Angeles County has reached a tentative $828 million settlement for more than 400 sexual abuse cases.

The county said the cases were filed under AB 218, which lifted the statute of limitations on claims of childhood sexual abuse.

The settlement still needs to be approved by the County Claims Board and the Board of Supervisors, but if it's passed, an independent allocator will distribute the money to claimants and their attorneys. The individual awards are set by the allocator based on factors including the "severity of abuse alleged," the county said.

"Our settlements balance our obligation to compensate victims and treat their experiences with compassion with the need to put strong protections in place to protect taxpayers from fraud," said LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger.

This tentative settlement comes after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a "historic" $4 billion agreement in April 2025 to settle more than 6,800 alleged sexual abuse cases dating back to 1959.

The county said it is also facing an estimated 2,500 additional cases beyond the ones covered by the two settlements, which total more than 14,000. They expect that figure to rise and continue to "pose extreme challenges for the County's budget unless legislative reforms are enacted."

Acting Chief Executive Officer Joe Nicchitta explained that AB 218 has placed severe financial stress on the county that will require "cutbacks in critical programs and services to residents."

County officials said each claim in the April and October settlements has undergone or will undergo an extensive analysis to identify fraudulent reports. They added that if any allocator finds a claim to be fraudulent, the plaintiff will be removed from the settlement process and will not receive any payment.