Los Angeles agrees to pay $828m to settle more sexual abuse claims

Los Angeles Tentatively Agrees to Pay $828 Million to Settle More Sexual Abuse Claims

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has tentatively agreed to pay nearly $1 billion to settle more than 400 additional claims against county employees, bringing the total amount paid in sexual abuse settlements since April to $4.7 billion.

As part of the agreement, victims who filed their claims will receive awards ranging from $100,000 to $3 million based on the severity of the alleged abuse. However, authorities are investigating allegations that some people were paid to file claims, a claim that has already been made in previous settlements.

The latest settlement comes six months after Los Angeles County approved its largest-ever sexual abuse settlement, worth $4 billion, with over 11,000 claimants. The new agreement brings the total number of unresolved cases to just under 2,500, which is expected to increase as more claims are filed.

The county's ability to assess the validity of allegations was hampered by a lack of records and court-ordered limits on legal discovery, officials said. However, the county has implemented additional safeguards to prevent abuse and act quickly if it occurs, including a new hotline for reporting child sexual abuse allegations against county employees that is expected to be in place by year's end.

The settlements have added to the county's unprecedented financial problems, which mounted after wildfires ravaged the region earlier this year. County officials said that common sense fixes are needed to balance the needs of victims with the need to avoid ruinous financial impacts on the county and its services.

"This settlement balances 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 Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

However, critics have expressed concerns that the law allowing the lawsuits has placed severe financial stress on the county, requiring cuts to "critical" programs and services. The acting county chief executive, Joe Nicchitta, agreed that LA County must balance its obligations to past victims with the need to avoid ruinous financial impacts that would undermine the social safety net services.

The $828 million settlement is pending approval by the Board of Supervisors, the county governing body, and the county claims board.

The latest settlement in LA County's sexual abuse scandal is another sad reminder of how far we've fallen as a society. $4.7 billion for over 400 cases? That's just insane . And now they're claiming that some people were paid to file claims? Come on, can't we trust our own system to handle these sensitive issues?

I'm all for victims getting the compensation they deserve, but at what cost to the taxpayers? It's like the county is saying, "Sorry, we'll give you some money, but don't expect us to actually do anything about it." And let's be real, this settlement is just another example of how our politicians are more interested in covering up their own backsides than doing what's right.

$4.7 billion is a lot to be paying out for sexual abuse claims... I mean, I feel bad for the victims and all, but it's crazy how much money they're handing over. And now we're hearing that some people might've been paid to file claims? That just seems like another layer of messed up. The county's got financial problems already, and now they're throwing in more cash? It's not like they can just magically make all this money appear.

I'm also a bit skeptical about how effective these settlements are going to be. I mean, you've got over 2,500 cases still pending, and we know the county's records were pretty sketchy to start with. How's that gonna change now? And what about the people who are actually doing the abusing? Are they getting any consequences for their actions?

The county needs to find a way to balance all this out, but it feels like they're just throwing money at the problem without really addressing the underlying issues. It's not just about handing over cash and hoping everything goes away.

I'm literally just catching up on this news from a thread that's been dead for days . Anyway, it's insane how much money LA County is shelling out to settle these sexual abuse claims... $4.7 billion in total?! That's like, crazy rich. I get why they need to compensate the victims and all, but can't they just make sure this doesn't happen again? I mean, a new hotline for reporting child sex abuse allegations is a start, but what about actual prevention measures? It's also wild that some people are already claiming they got paid to file claims... like, how does that even work?!

I'm not surprised this happened in LA, they've been dealing with some serious issues for a while now . This $828 million payout is massive, but it's just a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of money that's going into this. It's like they're throwing good money after bad . I mean, what can you really do to prevent this kind of thing from happening? It seems like no matter how hard they try, some people are still gonna find ways to take advantage of the system .

It's also crazy that they have to balance compensation for victims with financial stress on taxpayers. I get it, you want to help people, but at what cost? I'm not saying we should just cut off all funding for these programs, but some sort of middle ground has gotta be found. Maybe they could look into other ways to fund these initiatives that don't involve such huge payouts .

Anyway, this settlement is still pending approval, so we'll have to wait and see how it all plays out . One thing's for sure though: this isn't going to be the last time we hear about LA County's financial struggles

Ugh, this is crazy ... $1 billion + for what? It's already over $4.7 billion now, that's just not fair to taxpayers who are struggling with wildfires & other issues. I get it, victims deserve justice, but can't they just negotiate better? These settlements are gonna hurt people

This is so shocking, 1 billion+ dollars can't be made up... how are they gonna pay for it? And what about all the people who already got paid out of that 4 billion settlement? I feel bad for them, but this just seems like a never-ending cycle of problems...

$4.7 billion for 4000+ victims...can't believe our tax dollars are being used this way