Los Angeles County will pay $20M to settle lawsuit over death of 4-year-old boy who was tortured

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PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles County will pay $20 million to the family of a 4-year-old boy who was tortured to death by his parents six years ago in a case that brought scrutiny of the region's child welfare system.

Noah Cuatro died at a hospital in 2019, days before his fifth birthday, after being found motionless at the family's apartment in Palmdale, north of LA. His parents, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. and Ursula Elaine Juarez, later pleaded no contest to murder and torture charges.

The boy's great-grandmother, Eva Hernandez, sued the county's Department of Children and Family Services in 2020, alleging the agency failed to keep Noah safe. Cuatro had been under department supervision from the time he was born because his mother had been accused of fracturing his half-sister’s skull.

The Los Angeles Times reported the department had ignored a court order giving it 10 days to get Noah away from his parents and seen by a doctor after multiple reports of neglect and abuse.

The child welfare department said since Noah’s death it has hired thousands of social workers to decrease caseloads and has retrained staffers on interviewing techniques and use of forensic exams.

“It is DCFS’ hope that this resolution gives Noah’s family a sense of peace,” the department said in a statement. “DCFS remains committed to learning from the past, improving its work, and operating with transparency.”

Attorney Brian Claypool, who represented Cuatro’s family in the lawsuit, told the Times that Noah’s death was a direct result of the county failing to follow the court order to remove him from his parents.

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Palmdale, said she hopes the settlement announced Tuesday will provide “some measure of support” to help Noah's surviving siblings and other family members heal.

“Noah’s life was not in vain," Barger said in a statement. “His case has reinforced the need for ongoing review of child welfare cases, stronger partnerships with our schools, and a stabilized DCFS workforce to better protect children in the Antelope Valley.”