The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $20 million settlement for the family of Noah Cuatro, the 4-year-old boy from Palmdale who suffered a tragic fate at the hands of his own parents in 2019. As reported by ABC7, the boy's great-grandmother, Evangelina Hernandez, filed a wrongful death suit accusing the county's Department of Children and Family Services of gross negligence for not removing Noah from his parents' custody despite clear signs of abuse. The landmark settlement aims to provide support for Noah's siblings and is viewed as a stark acknowledgement of the system's failure to protect him.
In a statement obtained by Kathryn Barger's official County page, Supervisor Kathryn Barger reflected on the settlement, emphasizing that while money can never reverse the harm Noah experienced, the County hoped it would offer some support to his family. The case has triggered significant reforms in the child welfare system, including efforts to stabilize the social worker workforce in the Antelope Valley and to reduce caseloads, among other measures. Despite these efforts, Barger recognized that nothing could ever truly make up for the loss of Noah's young life.
Following the victim's death, which was initially misreported as a drowning by his parents, an investigation revealed signs of torture and abuse inconsistent with the reported accident. In 2024, both parents, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. and Ursula Elaine Juarez, were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, as NBC Los Angeles recounted. Their trials revealed the extent to which the children were mistreated, further igniting public outcry over DCFS's role in the circumstances leading to Noah's untimely death.
The family's attorney, Brian Claypool, was quoted by NBC Los Angeles, stating the hope that the $20 million settlement would send a powerful message to the board of supervisors and DCFS, symbolizing that there are "20 million reasons now for a young boy like Noah Cuatro to never die again." The wrongful death lawsuit also detailed how other siblings were forced to participate in abuse and outlined the deplorable living conditions the children faced. Noah's death has since propelled necessary introspection and has demanded accountability from a system meant to protect the most vulnerable.
The resolution of the case, titled Evangelina Hernandez, et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al., was confirmed by both the county and the plaintiffs, setting a precedent for how child welfare cases could be managed in the future, and ensuring that Noah's passing would not be without consequence. The $20 million settlement will be disbursed from the DCFS budget as directed by the Board, according to Supervisor Barger's statements. Ultimately, these events compel a profound, unwavering commitment to improving child welfare and guaranteeing that such horrors are not repeated.
