Finding F2.3
Los Angeles County has been plagued by expensive civil lawsuits and remains vulnerable. Plaintiff lawyers looking for ways to make money off the foster care system can look for a child who was in foster care, pay $435 in filing fees, and have the possibility of receiving millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages for their client and themselves. Mass settlements of class action claims, covering years of alleged abuse, while intended to manage financial exposure, are fertile arenas for fraudulent or unsubstantiated claims. Los Angeles County has spent billions of dollars on settlements, diverting critical financial resources which could otherwise be used to benefit children/families in foster care and other county agencies.
Jury report: Los Angeles County Foster Care · PDF page 131
Permanent linkOfficial response
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (consolidated County departmental response)
County agrees with litigation and settlement finding, without supporting analysis of costs or allegations of fraudulent claims.
Read official response · PDF page 18Explicit agreement supplies a position and requires no disagreement explanation. The bare agreement adds no substantive discussion of the finding, concrete reasoning or checkable support. Report physical PDF page(s) 131–132; County response physical PDF page(s) 18. Claims remain attributed; adoption date is not a filing or receipt date.
This review evaluates the response document. Implementation claims have not been independently verified.