• The sisters of a girl who died after being abused by her adoptive parents were compensated

• The two younger sisters now live with a foster mother in good health

A lawsuit over the death of an 11-year-old girl in California, who was allegedly tortured and starved by her adoptive family, reached a $31.5 million settlement from the city and county of San Diego.

The suit was filed on behalf of Arabella McCormack’s younger sisters, who were six and seven years old at the time of the incident in August 2022.

Their adoptive mother, Leticia McCormack, and her adoptive parents, Adella and Stanley Tom, face charges of murder, conspiracy, child abuse, and torture.

They have pleaded not guilty, and the criminal case is ongoing.

The lawsuit claimed a systemic failure across the city and multiple agencies to report Arabella McCormack’s abuse.

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 the Rock Church, according to the sisters’ attorney, Craig McClellan.

The school oversaw Arabella’s homeschooling.

McClellan said: “The amount is enough to take care of the girls for the rest of their lives,” but added that “it can never be enough to replace their sister or erase the memories of what they went through.”

The lawsuit also stated that county social workers did not properly investigate the abuse claims, two teachers at Pacific Coast Academy failed to report the girl’s condition, and a San Diego police officer, a friend of the adoptive mother, gave the family a wooden paddle to use on the children.

San Diego sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a child in danger at the McCormack home on August 30, 2022, and found Arabella severely malnourished with bruises. She was taken to a hospital where she died.

Her two younger sisters, now nine and eleven, live with a foster mother and are in good health, “doing pretty well considering everything,” according to McClellan.