Los Angeles District Attorney's Office warns that 81% of claims in $4 billion sexual abuse settlement could be false

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has issued a warning regarding the largest sexual abuse settlement in the nation’s history. According to Hochman, up to 81% of the claims filed in the $4 billion settlement could be fraudulent.

Hochman requests halting payments until end of year

In a brief filed Thursday with a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, the district attorney requested that all payments be suspended until Dec. 31, while a criminal investigation initiated in November of last year proceeds.

"The District Attorney’s Office believes the percentage of fraudulent claims in the related lawsuits seeking funds from this settlement may be as high as 81 percent," states the document viewed by The New York Post. Hochman emphasized that his intervention seeks to protect the true victims of abuse and preserve the integrity of the process.

"This intervention is critical to safeguarding the rights of the legitimate child abuse survivors, including preserving the integrity of the settlement process," he added.

More than 11,000 claims

The settlement, approved in April 2025, provides for the payment of more than 11,000 claims for sexual abuse that occurred primarily between the 1980s and 2000s in youth centers, foster homes, and the now-closed MacLaren Children’s Center in the county.

This $4 billion settlement surpassed the previous record of $2.6 billion paid to Boy Scouts victims in 2022, and was made possible by a 2020 law that temporarily extended the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits regarding child sexual abuse.

Key hearing on Monday

A judge will hear Hochman’s arguments next Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

The district attorney launched the criminal investigation after detecting a suspicious surge in claims following the extension of the statute of limitations. Last November, Hochman stated: "False reporting of sexual abuse undermines our entire justice system and is a grave disservice to actual victims who have already suffered unspeakable trauma."

He also noted that there are indications that some individuals were paid in cash to have law firms file false lawsuits against the county, calling it “criminal conduct that abuses the law and steals from victims and taxpayers.”