For thousands abused as juveniles, LA County鈥檚 historic settlement opens new era
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Ali Martin Staff writer
Ladaro Pennix is anticipating his freedom later this year. After nearly 30 years in prison, he hopes a resentencing hearing will result in his release. And if he gets out, he says, he will reclaim his life with help from the largest sex-abuse settlement in U.S. history.
鈥淭hey say that second chances don鈥檛 exist. Well, in this case it does,鈥� says Mr. Pennix.
He is one of thousands of people who survived alleged sexual abuse in juvenile facilities in Los Angeles County over decades beginning in the 1980s. County supervisors approved the $4 billion settlement Tuesday, which will compensate nearly 7,000 plaintiffs. The staggering amount reflects both the scope of the atrocities and the number of survivors, experts say.
Why We Wrote This
Los Angeles County issued a public apology as part of an expected sexual abuse settlement. That kind of recognition can help nourish the healing process.
It also reflects a broader societal shift in understanding power dynamics and requiring accountability for abuses. In the past, survivors have been silenced or discouraged by a system that often sided with abusers.
鈥淭he country is, without question, evolving toward greater support for the victims of child sex abuse and more willingness to understand the need for compensation and justice,鈥� says Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of Child USA, which advocates for stronger policies related to child abuse.
The settlement, which includes an apology from the county and recognition of harm, does more than mete out punishment. It takes a step toward restorative justice, says one lawyer in the case.
鈥淵ou want to have the societal recognition that there鈥檚 been a horrible wrong, that there鈥檚 been horrible damage, and that recognition is significant and important for the lifelong healing process,鈥� says Patrick McNicholas, whose firm represents 1,200 plaintiffs.
Mr. Pennix says that the settlement is, indeed, opening a door to his path toward healing.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a sort of redemption to it, for all of us.鈥�
鈥淭he leading wedge鈥�
The settlement stands out not just for its sum, but for the institution it holds accountable: government. 鈥淭his is the leading wedge on the cases against state institutions,鈥� says Ms. Hamilton.
It is the latest high-profile abuse settlement in recent decades, involving the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, and more than a dozen universities including Penn State, Michigan State, and the University of Southern California. The Boy Scouts agreed to the in 2022 for $2.5 billion.
The mass sexual abuse events amount to an epidemic, says Mr. McNicholas. In this case, the county of Los Angeles made 鈥渁 conscious, concerted decision to step up,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not easy to do because they have to balance the horrible injustice that鈥檚 been done with the ability of the taxpayers to pay.鈥�
Taxpayers will pay by way of budget cuts, cash reserves, and bond issues, according to the county, which declined to answer follow-up questions.
Government institutions are generally difficult to sue for large amounts, says Ms. Hamilton, because of sovereign immunity laws that protect them from paying punitive damages.
The size of this settlement, she says, shows state institutions should be held to account, because 鈥渨e have children all over the country who are still being abused in these kinds of institutions.鈥� This lawsuit, she says, is heroic.
LA County has in the last 25 years aimed at protecting children and strengthening processes for reporting and investigating child abuse. Many were the result of either civil lawsuits or state or federal mandates.
Accountability and healing
The scope of the claims is substantiated by a of MacLaren Children鈥檚 Center, the county鈥檚 largest foster care facility until it closed in 2003. The settlement acknowledges decades of abuse claims stemming primarily, says, from the 1980s, 鈥�90s, and 2000s.
鈥淥n behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts,鈥� Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport said in a news release. The county, she says, is 鈥渉elping the survivors recover and rebuild their lives.鈥�
The acknowledgment is meaningful, experts say. 鈥淭hat in and of itself can start to heal a wound of, 鈥楴o one believes me,鈥� and gives validation to their experiences, which is critical,鈥� explains Lauren Ng, director of UCLA鈥檚 TRUST Lab, which researches and treats trauma in underserved communities.
Mr. Pennix feels a sense of release, he says, in knowing the truth has been heard. The accountability makes him feel safe, 鈥渁nd because of this, we鈥檙e going to be saving a lot of lives from the same things that have happened to us.鈥�
鈥淯se my full name鈥�
Mr. Pennix was 14 years old when a fight at the Long Beach mall landed him in . At the time, he was soft-spoken, he says, and staff would comment on his 鈥渓ight girlish eyes.鈥�
Joking on the part of staff escalated to physical abuse. He recalls that once, staff members pulled him into a room and 鈥減ut me in some type of submission lock 鈥� and then this is when the worst of the worst started to happen.鈥� Mr. Pennix says he was sexually abused.
He was released at 16, but soon returned, this time for . Shame and anger from the abuse shaped him in prison, he says. He spent years in solitary confinement, 鈥渁nd it should be on the record that I tried to commit suicide.鈥�
But his mother, he says, 鈥渓oved me more than I love myself. And she reminded me of who I am, you know, a survivor.鈥� He worked to transform himself.
He earned degrees in psychology and theology, among other subjects, he says, and published . He facilitates support groups for gang members and inmates considering suicide.
A state appeals court granted him a resentencing hearing based on a 2022 that allows people to ask for reduced sentences if they received the equivalent of life without parole when they were under the age of 18. He is hopeful, he says, that he will be released from Kern Valley State Prison before the end of the year.
He intends to work with young people to help them avoid 鈥渢he street life.鈥�
Mr. Pennix also wants to share his experience, he says, to give voice to other survivors 鈥� the same voice he gained through the settlement. Out of sensitivity to the abuse he endured as a juvenile and its aftermath, the Monitor had asked him if he was comfortable being named in a news story.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time to use my life as a vehicle for change, and I can be a voice if I鈥檓 willing to be that voice. And to answer your question, yes, please use my full name.鈥�
Editor's note: This story has been updated following the LA County supervisors' vote.聽
