Los Angeles County will compensate a family $20 million after its Department of Children and Family Services neglected to implement a court order to remove a 4-year-old boy prior to his parents torturing and killing him in 2019.

California”s largest county announced the settlement on Tuesday in the lawsuit over the death of Noah Cuatro at the hands of his parents.

“It is DCFS’ hope that this resolution gives Noah’s family a sense of peace,” the agency stated. “His death and other child tragedies highlight the complexities of child welfare work, which often involves aiding families to heal from generational trauma, untreated mental health issues, domestic violence, and substance abuse, among other deeply personal challenges.”

Noah’s parents lost custody of him once but he was returned to them in 2018.

Two months before his death, the boy’s social worker sought his removal from his parents again — a request later authorized by a judge but never executed by the authorities. Consequently, the boy’s family initiated a lawsuit against the child welfare agency.

In the month preceding the murder, a separate Department of Children and Family Services investigation commenced based on a report of sexual abuse and other forms of domestic violence in the household. At that time, child welfare agents were in the process of interviewing family members when Noah passed away, DCFS officials informed KNBC.

In reaction to the boy’s death, the agency recruited thousands of social workers to reduce caseloads and has adopted an electronic system to provide emergency responders with “immediate access” to criminal background information, among other reforms.

“The death of Noah Cuatro was a heartbreaking tragedy,” L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger remarked in a statement. “While nothing can reverse the harm he endured, today’s $20 million settlement offers some support to his surviving family.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, Jose Maria Cuatro, Jr., 33, and Ursula Elaine Juarez, 31, in March 2024 pleaded no contest to two counts each for the July 2019 death of their son. The boy’s father accepted culpability on charges of murder in the first degree and torture. The boy’s mother accepted culpability on charges of murder in the second degree and torture.

The pair reported the child’s death as an accidental drowning that occurred in a community swimming pool at the apartments where the family lived in Palmdale. An autopsy, however, put the lie to that claim.

Though Noah died by asphyxiation, there was no water in his lungs and his hair was dry when he was found. The medical examiner also turned up evidence of blunt force trauma and sexual assault. Noah also had multiple ribs in various stages of healing, bruises all over his body, and other internal injuries — including a lacerated liver.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert G. Chu sentenced Jose Cuatro to 32 years to life in prison; Juarez received 22 years to life in prison.

As part of their plea deal, both defendants waived any right to appeal their sentences or convictions.

Noah’s great-grandmother excoriated the parents during their sentencing hearing in a statement read by a prosecutor, according to a courtroom report by City News Service, a regional wire service.

“Why, my God, why is there such evil in you, Ursula? What kind of monster are you, Jose?” Evangelina Hernandez, the great-grandmother who previously had custody of Noah, said in her statement. “You’re both very sick! You are the worst kind of sickos.”

Hernandez also said Juarez had previously told her that she did not like her own son. That sad state of affairs was amplified by the apparent disdain Jose Cuatro had for Noah. Prosecutors allege the boy’s father did not even believe Noah was his son and subsequently targeted him for brutal punishment, according to grand jury transcripts in the case obtained by NBC’s West Coast flagship KNBC.

To complicate the tragedy, authorities in the Golden State apparently knew about the abuse Noah endured for quite some time and, in the end, they failed to act — which some believe hastened the boy’s death.

“It deserves to be noted that the tragedy of Noah Cuatro has been and will continue to be felt far beyond these courtroom walls,” State Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Republican, said during the sentencing hearing. “Noah was not only betrayed by his parents, who are sitting here today, but the network established to protect children from mistreatment also failed.”

Noah’s great aunt, in a victim impact statement, said her otherwise fond memories of Juarez had been erased by her ghastly crimes.

“She would paint a picture of her being a great mom while abusing Noah behind closed doors,” Maggie Hernandez, the boy’s great aunt, said. “I will never forget him and I will never forget the monsters who took him away from us.”