LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has reached a groundbreaking $4 billion agreement to settle nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities dating back to 1959. This unprecedented settlement, pending approval from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, stands to be the largest of its kind in U.S. history.
Here’s a look at some of the largest settlements in recent history involving organizations and victims of sexual abuse:
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The Archdiocese of Los Angeles previously agreed to a remarkable $800 million payout to victims of clergy sexual abuse, bringing its total compensation for similar claims to over $1.5 billion across Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.
The Boy Scouts of America made headlines when they reached a $2.6 billion settlement with over 80,000 men who reported being sexually abused as children by Scout leaders and others, marking the largest aggregate sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history at that time.
The University of Southern California agreed to pay $852 million to resolve claims from more than 700 women who alleged sexual abuse by the university’s former gynecologist. Following a prior settlement related to a separate class-action suit, USC’s total compensation against Dr. George Tyndall surpassed $1 billion.
Michigan State University reached a $500 million settlement covering claims from over 300 women and girls who reported assaults by sports doctor Larry Nassar. In a related case, the U.S. Justice Department agreed to a $138.7 million settlement over the mishandling of sexual assault allegations against Nassar.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced a significant $210 million settlement for 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse as part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles previously settled with 508 victims for $660 million. In the same time frame, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to pay $198 million to resolve 400 lawsuits alleging childhood sexual abuse by priests and others.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston reached an $85 million settlement in response to over 500 clergy sex-abuse lawsuits. This landmark case ignited widespread media coverage and prompted investigations into the church’s attempts to conceal such abuses.
