In the biggest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history, some claim they were paid to sue

Los Angeles Times ^ | Oct. 2, 2025 3 AM PT | Rebecca Ellis

[E. Pluribus Unum]

• A Times investigation found plaintiffs in a sex abuse settlement who claim they received cash to sue L.A. County.
• The lawsuits led to a record $4-billion settlement for the victims.
• Downtown LA Law Group, which represents some plaintiffs who said they were paid to sue, said the firm “categorically does not engage in, nor has it ever condoned, the exchange of money for client retention.”

Every day, some of L.A.’s poorest residents line up outside the county benefits office in South Central, weaving their way through a swarm of salesmen hawking deals that feel too good to be true.

Would you like $15 for a quick blood pressure exam? A free phone? Perhaps, $2 for a COVID swab?

How about cash to sign up to sue L.A. County for sexual abuse at juvenile halls?

Over the last year, a Times investigation found a practice of paying for plaintiffs among a nebulous network of vendors, who usher people desperate for cash toward a law firm that could profit significantly from their business.

The Times spent two weeks outside the county social services office in South Central Los Angeles, where a constant flow of people applied for food stamps and cash aid, and spoke with seven people who said they were paid there within the last year to sue the county for sex abuse.

Most said they were abused inside the county’s juvenile halls, but had not planned to sue until they were flagged down on the sidewalk and offered cash. Two people said they were told to fabricate stories of abuse.

All the claims involving alleged payments were filed by Downtown LA Law Group, a pivotal player in the county’s recent $4-billion settlement for sex abuse inside its juvenile halls and foster homes — the largest such payout in U.S. history. Of the...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The "Dewey, Cheatem & Howe" law firm strikes again.

[Tell It Right]

The same LA Times wants us to believe that Stormy and Jean Carroll didn’t receive money to press lawsuits against Trump.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

‘Smokes for Votes’

‘Cash for Clunkers’

[lightman]

How many Catholic Archdiocese were bankrupted from “false memory syndrome”?

If false accusation weren’t a major problem it wouldn’t be listed in the 10 Commandments.