Noah Cuatro’s loved ones will receive $20 million from Los Angeles County. Noah was a severely disabled four-year-old boy who unfortunately experienced brutality and death at the hands of his parents in 2019. This fatal accident occurred just days before his fifth birthday. There can be no doubt that it has caused tremendous concern about how effective the county’s child welfare system really is.
Noah Cuatro, 9, was discovered lifeless in the family’s Palmdale, Calif. apartment, north of Los Angeles. He had been living under the control of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) since he was born. Regrettably, this oversight continued through the time of his death. His father, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr., and his mother, Ursula Elaine Juarez, were charged with the first-degree crimes of murder and torture. Ultimately, they pled no contest to those charges.
The troubling circumstances surrounding Noah’s case are compounded by the fact that his mother had previously faced allegations of fracturing the skull of Noah’s half-sister. DCFS removed Noah from Maria’s custody at birth under the assumption that these were serious allegations. Sadly, that was not enough to spare him from lethal mistreatment in his new surroundings.
In 2020, Noah’s great-grandmother, Eva Hernandez, filed a lawsuit against the county’s child welfare department, claiming that the agency failed to protect Noah. The lawsuit highlighted the department’s inability to follow court orders that would have removed Noah from his parents’ custody prior to his death.
Brian Claypool, the attorney representing Noah’s family, emphasized the direct link between Noah’s tragic death and the county’s shortcomings.
“Noah Cuatro’s death was a direct result of the county failing to follow a court order to remove him from his parents,” – Brian Claypool.
In the wake of Noah Cuatro’s tragic death and others like him, the state’s child welfare department has made some major systemic changes since his death. The agency has hired thousands of social workers to assist with reducing caseloads. Moreover, it’s retrained its staff on basic interviewing skills and the appropriate use of forensic examinations.
“We were cautiously optimistic about today’s proposed settlement,” said County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. She’s hopeful that it will benefit Noah’s surviving siblings and family members on their journey of healing.
“Noah Cuatro’s life was not in vain,” – Kathryn Barger.
Barger further noted that the Department of Children and Family Services hopes this resolution will bring some peace to Noah’s family.
“It is DCFS’ hope that this resolution gives Noah’s family a sense of peace,” – DCFS.