Turpin family reaches settlement with Riverside County, ChildNet over foster care abuse

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) Two civil lawsuits brought by members of the Turpin family against Riverside County and the foster care agency ChildNet have been settled for a substantial confidential amount, according to a press release issued Wednesday by Oakwood Legal Group and Booth Law, the firms representing the family.

The settlement resolves two cases filed on behalf of Turpin children and young adults who alleged they were severely abused and neglected while in foster care after being rescued from their parents’ Perris home in 2018. The cases settled prior to trial after years of litigation, according to the attorneys.

In addition to financial compensation, the settlement requires systemic reforms within Riverside County’s child welfare system, including commitments to:

• Increase social worker staffing levels by more than 25%
• Revise policies governing where and how children are interviewed by Child Protective Services
• Contact law enforcement earlier and more frequently when concerns of abuse arise

Attorneys for the Turpin family said those changes were achieved as a direct result of the siblings coming forward and demanding accountability.

“These concrete and long-overdue steps toward improving child safety were accomplished as a direct result of the Turpins bravely coming forward and insisting that their suffering lead to meaningful change to protect other children,” the attorneys said in a joint statement.

The attorneys also sharply criticized a public statement issued by ChildNet in response to a recent ABC News special, calling the agency’s claim that it helped the children “thrive” “profoundly disturbing.”

According to the press release, ChildNet placed the Turpin children with caregivers who were later convicted of child abuse, and the settlement was reached because the defendants “could not justify their repeated and catastrophic failures to protect the most vulnerable children entrusted to their care.”

The civil settlement follows criminal convictions in the case. The Turpins’ parents, David and Louise Turpin, are serving 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to torture and false imprisonment. One foster parent later pleaded guilty to lewd acts on a child and was sentenced to state prison.

The settlement comes as renewed public attention has focused on the Turpin case following an ABC News interview in which three siblings spoke publicly for the first time about their experiences.

Attorneys for the family said the Turpins’ goal was not only compensation, but lasting change.

“Their courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to protecting other foster children is extraordinary,” the attorneys said. “They stood up, spoke out, and forced real change in a system that failed them.”

News Channel Three has reached out to ChildNet and Riverside County for their response to the settlement.

News Channel Three will also be speaking with the legal team representing the Turpin family and have more details on this developing in our broadcast tonight.