SAN DIEGO — A lawsuit over the death of an 11-year-old California girl who was allegedly tortured and starved by her adoptive family reached a settlement totaling $31.5 million on Friday from the city and county of San Diego as well as other groups.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the younger sisters of Arabella McCormack, who died in August 2022. The girls were 6 and 7 years old at the time. Their adoptive mother, Letitia McCormack, and her parents, Adela and Stanley Tom, They face charges With murder, conspiracy, child abuse and torture. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them, and their criminal case is still ongoing.
The lawsuit alleged a systemic failure across the city and numerous agencies and organizations in not reporting Arabella McCormack’s abuse.
The sisters’ attorney, Craig McLellan, said the settlement includes $10 million from the city of San Diego, $10 million from San Diego County, $8.5 million from Pacific Coast Academy, and $3 million from Rock Church. Arabella McCormack’s home education was supervised by the school, and her adoptive mother was an ordained elder in the church.
“The amount will be enough to take care of the girls for the rest of their lives,” McLellan said. But it “will not be enough and will never be enough… to replace their sister, nor will it erase the memories of what they went through.”
District social workers did not properly investigate allegations of abuse, and two teachers at Pacific Coast Academy failed to report the girl’s condition, the suit said. She also said a San Diego police officer, a boyfriend of the girl’s adoptive mother, gave the family a wooden paddle they could use to beat their children.
San Diego sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of a child in distress at McCormack’s home on August 30, 2022. Authorities said they found Arabella McCormack suffering from severe malnutrition and bruising. She was taken to the hospital where she died.
Her sisters are now 9 and 11 and live with a foster mother. McClellan said they are healthy and “in good shape all things considered.”