SAN DIEGO (AP) – A significant legal settlement has been reached in a heartbreaking case involving the death of 11-year-old Arabella McCormack, who was reportedly tortured and starved by her adoptive family. The settlement, totaling $31.5 million, will be divided among the city and county of San Diego, as well as several organizations, and comes as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Arabella's two younger sisters, who were 6 and 7 years old at the time of her death in August 2022.
The adopters, Leticia McCormack, along with her parents Adella and Stanley Tom, are currently facing multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy, child abuse, and torture. All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and their criminal proceedings remain ongoing. The tragic case has spotlighted serious systemic failures within various agencies that allegedly failed to act on reports of abuse concerning Arabella.
The lawsuit attributes a failure to report the alleged abuse to several parties, including county social workers and staff from the Pacific Coast Academy, the school that conducted Arabella's homeschooling. According to the lawsuit, two teachers at the academy neglected to inform authorities about the girl’s troubling condition, while a San Diego police officer—who was a friend of the adoptive mother—reportedly provided the family with a wooden paddle that they could use for corporal punishment on their children.
On August 30, 2022, San Diego sheriff's deputies responded to a distress call from the McCormack household. Upon their arrival, they discovered Arabella severely malnourished and covered in bruises. After being transported to a hospital, she tragically succumbed to her injuries.
The financial settlement consists of $10 million from the city of San Diego, another $10 million from San Diego County, along with $8.5 million from Pacific Coast Academy and $3 million from Rock Church, where Arabella's adoptive mother held a position as an ordained elder. This substantial settlement is intended to provide for the future needs of her surviving sisters, who are now aged 9 and 11 and currently living with a foster mother. According to their attorney, Craig McClellan, the girls are in good health and "doing pretty well considering all things."
While the settlement is hoped to secure a stable future for the two girls, McClellan emphasized that no amount of money can bring back their sister or erase the traumatic memories they have endured. The significant sum is aimed at ensuring the ongoing care of the girls, demonstrating the grave implications of this case not only on a personal level but also as a reflection of failures within the institutions that were supposed to protect vulnerable children.
