Los Angeles County to settle over 6,800 sex abuse claims for $4 billion

(Reuters) - Los Angeles County said on Friday it reached a $4 billion tentative agreement to settle more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims dating back to 1959, calling it the costliest financial settlement in the county's history.

The deal will settle lawsuits filed by thousands who alleged sexual abuse and mistreatment in foster care and juvenile detention facilities.

It is subject to approval by the LA County Claims Board and the Board of Supervisors, LA County said in a statement.

"On behalf of the County, I apologize wholeheartedly to everyone who was harmed by these reprehensible acts," the county's chief executive officer, Fesia Davenport, said.

"The historic scope of this settlement makes clear that we are committed to helping the survivors recover and rebuild their lives - and to making and enforcing the systemic changes needed to keep young people safe."

The majority of the claims date from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and are alleged to have happened at Probation Department facilities and at the MacLaren Children's Center, which was permanently closed in 2003, LA County said.

The financing will require annual payments totaling hundreds of millions of dollars through 2030 and substantial continuing annual payments through fiscal year 2050-51.

The county's juvenile halls and camps came under scrutiny following reports of abuse and unsafe conditions, including by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2007, which forced LA County Probation into federal oversight for six years, according to an ABC News affiliate.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)