An L.A. Times investigation has just uncovered the fact that plaintiffs in a record $4bn sex abuse settlement, claim they received cash up-front to sue L.A. County.

This is a finding that provides a degree of confirmation for something many of us have long suspected, or even known about, but felt nervous to speak out about, lest we be accused of victim-blaming. Here, we will present the key details of the story, for those who might not have the time to go over the whole thing.

1. The investigation uncovered the practice of paying for plaintiffs among what it calls a "nebulous network of vendors", who usher people desperate for cash toward a law firm, Downtown L.A. Law Group (DTLA), that "could profit significantly from their business". Investigators spent two weeks outside the county social services office in South L.A. They spoke with seven hard-up people who said they were paid to sue L.A. County for sex abuse.

2. These individuals claimed they were abused inside the county’s juvenile halls, but only sued after they were tapped up on the sidewalk and directly offered cash to do so. Two people said they were told to fabricate stories of abuse. The litigation floodgates opened in 2020 after California passed a law allowing survivors of childhood sexual abuse to sue the perpetrator even though the statute of limitations had passed on their cases.

3. All these claims were filed by DTLA, driving-force behind the county’s recent $4-billion settlement for sex abuse inside its juvenile facilities. Of the roughly 11,000 plaintiffs in the record settlement, The Times found that nearly one-fourth were represented by them. Court records reveal that DTLA, a personal-injury firm not previously known for sexual abuse suits, has found more than 2,700 people to sue L.A. County. The firm will get nearly half the money for each client.

4. Marlon Bland, 31, said he got $200 in cash street-side and another $200 when he went to meet with DTLA. Kevin Richardson, 59, whose suit was filed by DTLA on Oct. 15, said he got $50 outside the social services office. Quantavia Smith, 38, whose suit was filed by DTLA on April 29, said a vendor drove her to the office of a downtown law firm and then gave her $200. The vendor allegedly handed one man a postcard-sized “script” of how to respond. The county had no records of who was in its facilities decades ago, he was told. Juan Fajardo said he would watch a man pull up outside the social services office in a Tesla most Fridays and hand the recruiters cash, which they would dole out the following week to potential plaintiffs. DTLA have allegedly warned complainants not to talk to the Times.

5. Importantly, California law bans a practice known as capping, in which non-attorneys directly solicit or procure clients to sign up for lawsuits with a law firm.

Select quotes from the rest of the story

Lorena Gonzalez, who spearheaded the law, says she has been disturbed by how it has panned out. “It’s clear that the State Bar and attorneys themselves cannot hold themselves accountable,” said Gonzalez, now the president of the California Federation of Labor Unions. “What they’re doing, I think, to the cities and counties is deplorable.”

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"The whole thing just stinks,” said John Manly, a longtime sex abuse lawyer who served as a lead attorney in the settlements against USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and USC gynecologist George Tyndall. “It looks to me like a third of these cases are total bull, and the county is paying for no reason."

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With most retainers on the higher end of the range, some attorneys involved in the settlement estimate $1.5 billion in taxpayer money could easily flow to lawyers — close to what the county Fire Department spends in a year.

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“[Firms think] ‘there’s a fund out there, and I’m going to do everything in my power to get as much as I can,’” said one attorney suing the county over sex abuse, who declined to be named, fearing professional repercussions.

It is worth mentioning that similar actions are ongoing in the online sphere, against gaming platform Roblox. How long will it be until the shady practices of personal injury firms towards present minor complainants and their families are given the full attention they deserve? Care to comment? Here is our discussion thread for this breaking story.