A grieving great-grandmother is expected to receive $20million in a landmark settlement over authorities’ failures to protect her grandson from his parents, who tortured and murdered him.

Four-year-old Noah Cuatro tragically died in July 2019, a day after his parents reported he had drowned in the family home pool in northern Los Angeles.

But the little boy was suffering severe injuries, which immediately prompted a more thorough investigation and unraveled a well-documented history of abuse in the home.

His great-grandmother Evangelina Hernandez filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the tragedy, claiming the Department of Children and Family Services failed to protect Noah by removing him from his home when they received allegations he was being abused.

The suit was filed on behalf of Noah’s six-year-old sister and two brothers, ages five and 11. Los Angeles County is expected to approve the $20million settlement, ABC 7 reported.

It stated DCFS failed to carry out an order to remove Noah from the home just weeks before his tragic death. There had reportedly been multiple complaints about his living conditions 

The eldest sibling had confided in Hernandez in 2023 that he was forced to ‘physically fight and beat up’ Noah, and that they were always hungry.

The little boy said he was scared of his father because he would ‘beat him up’, and that he saw his father physically assault his younger sibling.

Four-year-old Noah Cuatro tragically died in July 2019, a day after his parents reported he had drowned in the family home pool in northern Los Angeles 

His great-grandmother Evangelina Hernandez filed a wrongful death lawsuit after the tragedy, claiming the Department of Children and Family Services failed to protect Noah

In April 2024, Noah’s father Jose Maria Cuatro Jr. was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison, while his mother Ursula Elaine Juarez received 22 years to life.

Cuatro pleaded no contest to one count of first-degree murder and torture, and Juarez pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder and torture. 

‘Instead of protecting Noah and his siblings, DCFS continued to place the children with their abusive parents, where the children continued to be abused over the course of several years,’ the suit stated. 

In December, Hernandez’ attorneys revealed they had reached a ‘conditional’ settlement with the county, but at that stage no further details were available and it was still awaiting approval by the Claims Board and the Board of Supervisors.

It has since emerged through the county Board of Supervisors agenda for Tuesday’s meeting that the settlement reached was for $20million.

Hernandez previously revealed Noah was in foster care for three months from birth and lived with her until he was nine months, but the boy was taken from his parents again after a year due to malnutrition and neglect.

After another stint in foster care, Hernandez cared for him for two years until last November when he pleaded not to go back to his mother Ursula and father.

‘I told the social workers, ‘Please, he doesn’t want to leave. He wants to stay here. He begged me’,’ Hernandez told KTLA in 2020. 

Noah was suffering severe injuries, which immediately prompted a more thorough investigation and unraveled a well-documented history of abuse in the home

‘He would hold on to me and say, ‘Don’t send me back, grandma.’ I don’t know. I couldn’t do anything. I just had to send him back.’

She asked the Department of Children and Family Services to visit the home unannounced but they warned the parents they were coming and when they carried out checks, everything seemed fine. 

According to the complaint, the social workers told Hernandez that if she made any public statements about Noah’s case, or talked about potential legal action, she would lose her request for guardianship of Noah’s sister and two brothers, and would never see them again.