Los Angeles County quietly spent a staggering $112 million last fiscal year just to defend the Sheriff's Department in court, eating up nearly half of the county's $229 million litigation bill. The sheriff's legal tab was more than five times higher than that of any other county agency and rose by about $12 million from the year before, a spike driven in large part by a string of multimillion-dollar settlements tied to deputy conduct that are now baked into the county budget.
According to County Counsel, total countywide litigation costs for fiscal 2024–25 came to roughly $229.3 million, with $112,002,405 of that tied specifically to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The report breaks that figure into about $118 million in judgments and settlements and $111.3 million in attorneys' fees and costs, and flags spending on contract law firms as a key driver of the increase. The document shows the Sheriff's Department's defense bill alone jumped by more than $12 million from the prior year.
Eight Big Settlements, Six Involving The Sheriff
Of the eight most expensive settlements on the county's books last year, six were tied to the Sheriff's Department. They include a $25 million excessive-force payout to Isaias Cervantes after a March 2021 911 call, a $17.2 million settlement over a deputy-involved car crash, and a $7 million payment in a parking-garage shooting that left a man paralyzed, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
In several of those incidents, internal reviews found deputies had not violated department policy, a disconnect that highlights the gap between what the county ends up paying out in court and what the department concludes about its own conduct. According to the Los Angeles Times, law-enforcement cases, employment claims and general-liability suits together accounted for the largest share of payouts.
Outside Firms And Rising Legal Fees
The litigation report also shows that nearly $89.3 million, about 40% of the county's total tab, went to outside law firms in fiscal 2024–25. That spending has climbed steadily from roughly $49 million in the fiscal year that ended in June 2022. Contract law-firm fees and costs were a major reason attorneys' fees and costs rose to $111.3 million overall for the year, the report notes. County Counsel warns that the county's reliance on external firms is a structural factor behind the mounting legal bill.
Probation Lawsuits And A $4.5 Billion Shadow
The litigation spike did not stop with the Sheriff's Department. Court records reviewed by the county's report show the probation department was served with 1,984 lawsuits last year, up from 304 the year before, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Those figures sit against an even larger backdrop: the county's nearly $4.5 billion agreement to resolve thousands of sexual-abuse claims involving foster homes and juvenile halls. That separate settlement, which will be paid out over multiple years, is already reshaping budget talks. Prosecutors and the State Bar have opened inquiries into parts of the sex-abuse settlement process, injecting more uncertainty into when and how the money will ultimately be distributed.
Taxpayers On The Hook, Policy On The Line
The soaring legal bill forces hard choices in a budget that is already strained by massive settlements and ongoing demand for public services. County supervisors are weighing cuts and shifts in other areas as they try to balance reserves, legal payouts and everyday operations.
Whether this latest tally leads to tighter controls on outside counsel, policy changes within the Sheriff's Department, or more aggressive oversight of claims will come down to upcoming Board of Supervisors deliberations and the outcome of ongoing investigations. For now, one thing is clear: when deputies and county agencies end up in court, taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.
