San Diego County has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit by three boys who alleged they were sexually assaulted by their foster brother, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
The lawsuit claimed county social workers hid the foster child’s violent history from the foster mother, then refused her pleas to remove the accused teenager from the home, the Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.
The county and the other defendants — including five social workers — did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. County officials did not respond to a request for comment from the newspaper.
Lawyers for the boys, who sued in 2018 through their adoptive mother, filed a motion to approve a “minor’s compromise,” which spells out how the settlement amount will be distributed. The motion must be approved by the judge overseeing the lawsuit, the Union-Tribune said.
The boys, identified only by initials, alleged negligence, civil rights violations and other wrongdoing.
One of the boys claimed he was molested when he was 6 while watching cartoons in the family living room.
Shawn McMillan, an attorney representing the family, said in a statement: “The family is working hard to put this ordeal behind them and is hopeful that the county will put measures in place to ensure this never happens again to another family.”
