Los Angeles County has tentatively reached a $4 billion agreement to settle more than 6,800 childhood sexual abuse claims dating back to 1959 and allegedly perpetrated in juvenile facilities or foster care, officials said Friday.
"On behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts," the county's Chief Executive Officer 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 settlement now must be approved by the L.A. County Claims Board and the Board of Supervisors.
In a written statement to Eyewitness News, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors said in part:
"We hope that this settlement, once approved, can bring some measure of healing to those who experienced abuse and help them in rebuilding their lives. As a Board, we are committed to holding County departments accountable for safeguarding the young people we serve, ensuring that reforms are enforced, and working with law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice."
The majority of the claims date from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and are alleged to have happened at Probation Department facilities and at the MacLaren Children's Center, which was permanently closed in 2003, according to a news release. Investigations are ongoing, and two cases have been referred to the district attorney's office for possible prosecution.
