Overview

• The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the $20 million agreement resolving the wrongful-death suit filed in 2020 by great-grandmother Evangelina Hernandez on behalf of Noah Cuatro’s siblings.
• The lawsuit asserts DCFS ignored a judge’s 10-day order in 2019 to remove Noah and have him examined by a doctor despite numerous prior abuse reports.
• Parents Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. and Ursula Elaine Juarez pleaded no contest in 2024 and received sentences of 32 years to life and 22 years to life, respectively.
• Amended filings and deposition testimony describe additional abuse and neglect of Noah’s siblings and allege unsafe, unsanitary home conditions that county workers failed to report.
• DCFS says it has hired thousands of social workers, retrained staff, and committed to greater transparency, as county leaders cite the case as a catalyst for stronger protections in the Antelope Valley.