$1M Settlement: Care Facility Negligence Harms Child

Case Background

A lawsuit was initiated in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, against a residential care facility after a serious incident involving a resident and a minor living in the neighboring community. Plaintiffs Carlos Davis and his daughter, H.D. Doe, who was a minor represented by Mr. Davis, brought the action seeking compensation for the severe emotional and physical trauma the young girl endured. The case centered on a failure of supervision at a home operated by the Defendant, which housed individuals with known dangerous histories.

Cause

The central claim of the lawsuit was negligence and premises liability. The Plaintiffs asserted that the Defendant, HOME 2 U 9, LLC, which operated the residential care facility, had failed completely in its duty to supervise a specific resident known as "Mr. Golden." This resident was a registered sex offender who posed a recognizable danger to the public, particularly young children in the neighborhood. The Plaintiffs argued that the Defendant, knowing Mr. Golden’s background and propensities for sexual misconduct, had a fundamental duty to ensure he remained under constant and effective care. This duty was breached, the complaint stated, when the facility allowed Mr. Golden to leave the property unaccompanied in the early morning hours, around 5:00 a.m., while the facility’s overnight caregiver slept. This unsupervised exit directly preceded the incident involving H.D. Doe.