Los Angeles County Counsel announced it’s launching an investigation into Downtown L.A. Law Group, among others, for potential fraudulent sexual abuse claims against the county, according to an L.A. County news release.
The claims are related to Assembly Bill 218, which went into effect in 2020 and allowed sex abuse victims to file lawsuits until age 40 or within five years of discovery.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a news release Friday that she strongly supports the investigation, adding that she was the author of the motion that created a hotline for suspected cases of fraudulent claims related to AB 218.
“False claims spread like wildfire — they damage credibility, drain critical resources, and hurt the very survivors this law was meant to help. If you try to game the system, Los Angeles County will respond,” Barger, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley, said in the statement. “We will protect survivors, defend taxpayers and uphold the integrity of this process.”
The investigation comes in the wake of two major settlements with thousands of people who’ve claimed to have been sexually abused at county facilities, including schools, juvenile halls and foster homes: a $4 billion settlement with 6,800 claimants approved in April 2025 and an $828 million settlement with more than 400 claimants, according to the county press release.
The L.A. Times reported in October 2025 that reporters found seven people, desperate for cash, who were paid by recruiters outside the South Central county benefits office to sue the county for sex abuse – all filed by DTLA Law Group.
In the county press release, it was announced that county counsel had issued an administrative subpoena to DTLA Law Group, “seeking documents related to the firm’s business practices in handling AB 218 claims.”
It added that county counsel had recommended DTLA Law Group both to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the California State Bar, which have both opened their own investigations.
The Times reported that, in a court filing earlier this month, DTLA attorney Andrew Morrow argued that complying with the state bar’s subpoena for their court records as part of the bar’s investigation into the firm would violate the firm’s client’s privacy.
County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis also said she supported the investigation, saying fraud claims hurt real sex abuse victims.
“False AB 218 sexual abuse claims filed by lawyers for financial gain are deeply troubling – they undermine real victims and divert resources from the essential services the county provides,” Solis said in the statement.
“Such conduct is wrong and appalling. On behalf of the Board of Supervisors, I urge anyone with information about this alleged scam to come forward and report what they know. Such information can be provided anonymously.”