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

PALMDALE Calif AP Los Angeles County will pay million to the family of a -year-old boy who was tortured to death by his parents six years ago in a matter that brought scrutiny of the region s child welfare system Noah Cuatro died at a hospital in days before his fifth birthday after being uncovered 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 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 released the department had ignored a court order giving it days to get Noah away from his parents and seen by a clinician after multiple reports of neglect and abuse The child welfare department announced 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 declared in a comment 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 reported the Times that Noah s death was a direct aftermath of the county failing to follow the court order to remove him from his parents County Supervisor Kathryn Barger whose district includes Palmdale commented she hopes the settlement communicated Tuesday will provide specific measure of advocacy to help Noah s surviving siblings and other family members heal Noah s life was not in vain Barger commented in a announcement His development 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 Source