Santa Monica Employee Accused Of Abusing 200 Youths Prompts $122.5M Settlement

SANTA MONICA, CA — The alleged victims of a Santa Monica Police Department employee accused of sexually abusing hundreds of youths will receive a total of $122.5 million in a settlement with the city of Santa Monica, attorneys said Wednesday. The case is reportedly the most costly sexual abuse disbursement for a single perpetrator in any city statewide.

The City Council approved settlements to resolve all lawsuits that arose out of allegations of sexual abuse by former city employee Eric Uller who spend decades working with youths as a volunteer with the Police Activities League.

More than 200 people had accused Uller of abusing them as children, targeting underprivileged youths whose families turned to the city for activities and programs over the course of decades, the Los Angeles Times reported. Uller killed himself shortly after he was arrested in 2018, according to city officials.

The lawsuits involved 124 people who had alleged Uller sexually abused or attempted to sexually abuse them in the late 1980s and early 2000s when they were minors and participated in Santa Monica's Police Activities League program. Uller was charged with five counts of sexual crimes against minors in 2018 including three counts of Lewd Acts Upon a Child, two counts of Oral Copulation of a Person Under 18 and one count of Continuous Sexual Abuse.

In spring 2018, the Santa Monica Police Department received an anonymous tip that marked the first allegation of sexual abuse by Uller. Shortly after his arrest later that year, Uller was found dead in his apartment.

His death put an end to the criminal case, but the city faced allegations that individuals were well-aware of Uller's activities and failed to meet obligations as mandatory reporters under the Child Abuse Neglect and Reporting Act. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, that investigation remains outstanding.

"My heart goes out to the victims who have experienced so much pain and heartbreak,” said Mayor Gleam Davis. “The settlement is the City’s best effort to address the suffering of the victims in a responsible way, while also acknowledging that the harm done to the victims cannot be undone.”

Following the first allegations, Santa Monica city officials worked to expand requirements for child abuse-mandated reporter training for anybody working in any city-managed youth program.

In March 2020, the city also adopted a child protection resolution in an effort to prevent further abuse. About a year later in March 2021, the city established an administrative instruction on abuse prevention that outlined the Child Protection Program including structures, roles and responsibilities of the Child Protection Committee and child protection officer.

Additionally, the city established a website with child abuse prevention resources in response to the controversy.

“The City has remained vigilant by implementing best practices and strict policies to ensure that these unconscionable acts do not occur again,” said City Manager David White.

Under the settlement agreement, the money will be put into a qualified settlement fund, which will be allocated among the plaintiffs with the assistance of a neutral retired judge retained by plaintiff's counsel.