Three years after the Child Victims Act went into effect, L.A. County responsible for facilities meant to protect and rehabilitate the region’s youth has emerged in court filings as one of the biggest alleged institutional offenders. Two weeks ago, in an otherwise dry budget document, county officials delivered figures that stunned even some of the most seasoned California sex abuse attorneys. County officials predicted that they may be forced to spend between $1.6 billion and $3 billion to resolve roughly 3,000 claims of sexual abuse that allegedly took place in the county’s foster homes, children shelters, and probation camps and halls dating to the 1950s. The county is gearing up to litigate the cases, bringing on 11 law firms to work through the claims. Experts say the volume is unlike anything they’ve heard of in local government. There is only one apt comparison, attorneys say: the Catholic Church.
Decades of failures leave LA County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims [Los Angeles Times :: BC-LA-SEXABUSE-CLAIMS:LA] dailyrepublic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyrepublic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
LOS ANGELES As California legislators prepared to pass a law providing victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file lawsuits, the bill s chief backer recalls most of