Los Angeles County, California reaches tentative $4B settlement involving more than 6,800 claims of childhood sexual abuse
Share this @internewscast.com

LOS ANGELES — 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.

Breane Wingfield, who was charged after stealing a purse when she was 14, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Wednesday, recounting how she was abused by correctional officers while in custody at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.

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.

This marks the costliest financial settlement in the county’s history “and will have a significant impact on the County’s budget for years to come,” the news release said, adding that the county’s plan to pay for the settlement includes cash from reserve funds, issuance of judgment obligation bonds and proposed cuts in departmental budgets.

The proposed settlement is scheduled to go before the Claims Board on April 7. If approved, it will be considered by the Board of Supervisors on April 29.

In interviews with ABC News last April, attorneys for some of the victims said the abuse was common among juvenile detainees who did time throughout facilities in L.A. County for more than three decades.

RELATED: New lawsuits in alleged sex abuse at Illinois juvenile facilities include over 130 people

As a teenager in the early 2000s, Reanell Hartley was locked up inside the fences of Camp Scott, a juvenile facility run by the Los Angeles Probation Department in Santa Clarita.

Hartley said she had a rough childhood, a victim of sexual abuse who was forced into prostitution when she was just 11. She had hoped Camp Scott would help to get her life back on track.

“I was excited because I was told that I was going to find discipline. I was going to find rehabilitation within the juvenile probation system,” Hartley told ABC News. “The things that I found here was a total opposite.”

Hartley alleged in a lawsuit that at Camp Scott she was repeatedly sexually abused by a probation officer.

Camp Scott is now closed, but when it opened as a girls-only juvenile facility in 1987, it was touted as a model “boot camp” style facility, designed to “scare” young women “straight.”

Detainees were told when they could eat, talk and even when they could go to the bathroom. They showered in groups and were punished with solitary confinement.

But LA County’s juvenile halls and camps came under scrutiny following reports of abuse and unsafe conditions, including by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2007, which forced LA County Probation into federal oversight for six years.

ABC News contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

14 Arrested in Connection to $22M Illegal Operation Spanning 45 Locations in Houston, Texas, Including 30 Unlawful Game Rooms

HOUSTON — On Wednesday, more than 700 law enforcement officers raided numerous…

Furious Mom Shares Shocking Cost of Four Ice Creams at DC’s National Mall

A Virginia mother was shocked to find an $88 charge on her…

Distraught Father Defends Teen Son Accused of Murder at Texas Track Event, Insists He ‘Didn’t Start It’ and Is a ‘Good Kid’

The father of the 17-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a rival…

Pentagon budget cuts and strategic overhaul may lead to a reduction of 90,000 Army troops: report

The U.S. Army is discreetly contemplating a reduction of up to 90,000…

Tragic Amtrak Incident: Train Hits and Kills Three Family Members on Bucks County Tracks, Authorities Report

An investigation is underway after an Amtrak train struck and killed three…

Birmingham Police Credit Community Tips for Arrest of Murder Suspect

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The Birmingham Police Department has arrested a suspect…

Erased from History: Black Republican Cropped Out by Cleveland Plain Dealer in DeWine’s Anti-DEI Bill Signing

We’ve known since the Reagan years, at least – probably back to…

Leading Democrats Express Outrage Over Dismissal of NSA Chief and Deputy Director

WASHINGTON — Top congressional Democrats on Thursday protested the reported firing of…

Prosecutors Request 7-Year Sentence for Former US Rep. George Santos in Federal Fraud Case

NEW YORK – Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison…

‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 3 Episode 5 Summary: Partial Truths Revealed

With Finbar McShane’s murder of Sheila Walsh, Harry Bosch has never been…

Trump’s Intensifying Trade War Adversely Affects US Electric Vehicle Industry

DETROIT – President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz has sent shock waves throughout…

Alexander Ovechkin Equals Wayne Gretzky’s Record for Most Goals in NHL History

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored his 894th career goal on Friday,…