District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Wednesday his office is investigating allegations that some people may have filed bogus damage claims against the county alleging they were victims of childhood sexual abuse in probation camps, and he said violators who voluntarily come forward could be offered amnesty for their cooperation.
The county Board of Supervisors last month approved an $828 million settlement with 414 plaintiffs claiming they were victims. That settlement was on top of an earlier $4 billion settlement involving roughly 11,000 claimants -- considered one of the largest sex abuse settlements in U.S. history.
The various claims involved in the settlements were the result of AB 218, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on allegations of childhood sexual abuse. The claims included in the two settlements involve allegations dating back as far as 1959, targeting workers at the county Probation and Children and Family Services departments.
When it approved the most recent settlement, the Board of Supervisors directed county attorneys to investigate allegations that some people may have submitted phony abuse claims, or been paid to file lawsuits and become plaintiffs in the litigation. The terms of the settlement also called on the county to vet every claim and require every plaintiff to provide a written summary of the abuse they allegedly suffered, under penalty of perjury.
Hochman said Wednesday his office was conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of bogus claims being filed, or people being recruited to become plaintiffs.
"False reporting of sexual abuse undermines our entire justice system and is a grave disservice to actual victims who have already suffered unspeakable trauma," Hochman said in a statement. "My office is taking the allegations seriously that some individuals were paid cash to have law firms file false sexual abuse claims against the county. This is criminal conduct that abuses the law and steals from victims and taxpayers."
Hochman said during a news conference Wednesday morning that people who may have submitted fraudulent claims can come forward voluntarily and cooperate with prosecutors and "describe every person who recruited them to participate." He said people who come forward and are truthful with investigators will be offered a measure of amnesty.
"We will not use your words against you in any criminal prosecution," Hochman said.
The Los Angeles Times reported previously that some plaintiffs in the $4 billion sex abuse settlement were paid by vendors to sue the county, and in at least two cases, fabricate claims so they could become plaintiffs.
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According to The Times, the plaintiffs in question were all represented by Downtown LA Law Group, or DTLA, which had more than 2,700 cases involved in the abuse settlement.
The law firm categorically denied paying anyone to sue, and said no representatives of the firm were ever authorized to offer people money. The firm told The Times it has hired an outside company to investigate if any false claims were made.
"The allegations in this story are extremely concerning and describe conduct that is contrary to our firm's values," the firm told The Times in a statement. "While we do not believe they are accurate, we are taking them seriously."
According to The Times, its investigation found seven plaintiffs who said they were paid by "recruiters" for a law firm to become involved in litigation against the county.
Anyone with information on allegedly false sex abuse claims or payments for false claims was urged to contact a county AB 218 fraud hotline at 844-901-0001 or visit fraud.lacounty.gov/ab218.
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