Statement From Sexual Assault Attorney Sam Dordulian Regarding Alleged Fraud in L.A. County Sexual Abuse Settlement

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The recent Los Angeles Times investigation revealing allegations that plaintiffs were paid to fabricate sexual abuse claims against L.A. County represents a profound betrayal of survivors and an assault on the integrity of our legal system.

A Crisis for Legitimate Survivors

As a former prosecutor and civil sexual assault attorney who has dedicated my career to representing survivors of sexual abuse, I am outraged by these allegations. The reported conduct – if proven true – is not merely unethical; it is a criminal act that victimizes survivors twice over.

The real casualties of this alleged scheme are survivors like Tammy Rogers and Trinidad Pena, who, as the Times reported, endured horrific abuse as children in county custody. These individuals waited decades to come forward, found the courage to seek justice, and now face the possibility of reduced compensation because fraudulent claims have diluted the settlement pool. Every dollar paid to a fabricated claim is a dollar stolen from a legitimate survivor who deserves justice and healing.

Long-Term Damage to the Justice System

Beyond the immediate financial harm, this scandal creates an insidious ripple effect that threatens justice for every legitimate survivor. When allegations of widespread fraud surface, it poisons the well for all sexual abuse cases. Defense attorneys will inevitably use these revelations to cast doubt on the credibility of genuine victims. Jurors who read these reports will enter courtrooms with skepticism, questioning whether the survivor testifying before them is telling the truth or is part of another fraudulent scheme.

For those of us who take sexual abuse cases to trial – who present survivors' testimony to juries and fight for accountability – this alleged misconduct makes an already difficult job nearly impossible. Sexual assault survivors already face enormous credibility challenges in our justice system. They are cross-examined, their memories questioned, their motives scrutinized. Now, thanks to the alleged actions of unscrupulous attorneys seeking profit, legitimate survivors will face an additional burden: proving they are not part of a fraudulent cash grab. This scandal may effectively deny justice to victims who deserve their day in court, as juries contaminated by these allegations may be unable to render fair verdicts.

As a sexual abuse attorney who has won over 100 jury trials, I cannot overstate the inherent challenges and difficulties faced in each and every one. No such case is ever easy. Moving forward, that burden will now be compounded dramatically.

The Specialization Sexual Assault Cases Require

Sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse cases demand more than legal competence – they require specialized expertise, trauma-informed representation, and an unwavering commitment to ethical practice. These are not cases that should be handled by personal injury attorneys with no requisite experience who are blatantly seeking quick profits from mass tort litigation.

As someone who has prosecuted sexual assault cases and now represents survivors in civil litigation, I understand that these cases require:

• Trauma-informed client relationships built on trust and sensitivity
• Thorough investigation and documentation to build credible cases
• Mental health support systems to help survivors through the legal process
• Ethical vigilance to protect both client interests and system integrity

The alleged conduct described in these reports – paying vulnerable individuals outside welfare offices to fabricate abuse claims – represents everything that is wrong when attorneys treat sensitive cases as mere inventory in a settlement factory.

The Urgent Need for Accountability

I join lawmakers, county officials, and the Consumer Attorneys of California in calling for:

1. Immediate State Bar investigation into the alleged capping and solicitation practices
2. Independent audit of claims in the L.A. County settlement before funds are distributed
3. Federal criminal investigation where evidence of fraud exists
4. Strengthened protections against attorney misconduct in mass tort litigation

A Message to Survivors

To survivors of sexual abuse: You deserve better than this. You deserve attorneys who see you as human beings, not case numbers. You deserve representation from lawyers who have dedicated their careers to understanding the unique challenges of sexual assault litigation – not opportunists who jumped into this practice area solely because of AB 218's (California's lookback window legislation) financial opportunities.

The legal system failed to protect many survivors as children. We cannot allow it to fail them again through fraud and exploitation.

About Dordulian Law Group

As a former sex crimes prosecutor who served for 13 years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and has 17 years' experience representing survivors in civil litigation, I have witnessed how significantly the scourge of sexual abuse impacts survivors. I have built my practice on the foundation of ethical representation and specialized expertise. Our firm has successfully represented thousands of clients – survivors of both childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault – and is currently representing victims of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, MacLaren Children's Center, Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, and more Southern California juvenile detention center locations.

In recent years, the number of attorneys who have jumped into sexual abuse litigation has grown exponentially. I hope that the majority did so with good intentions. To those who did so solely for financial gain and at the expense of survivors: Shame on you.  

The fight for survivors' rights is too important to be undermined by bad actors seeking profit over justice.

For media inquiries, please contact Dordulian Law Group Outreach Coordinator, Jason Kitchen, at [email protected] or (517) 974-4724.

SOURCE Dordulian Law Group