A tentative settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a nonverbal autistic teenage boy who allegedly was battered and emotionally abused by an aide employed by a company contracted by Los Angeles Unified to provide special education services.

The boy, now 17, is identified only as R.E. in the Los Angeles Superior Court complaint. His attorney filed court papers Wednesday notifying Judge Daniel M. Crowley of a "conditional" resolution in the case, with the expectation a request for dismissal will be brought by Jan. 31. No terms were divulged.

It was not immediately clear if the settlement is subject to final approval by the Board of Education.

In their previous court papers, LAUSD attorneys stated that the district was immune from liability and that its employees had no awareness of the "alleged dangerous propensities of the alleged perpetrator."

The alleged abuses took place when the nonverbal boy was enrolled at Sophia T. Salvin Special Education Center during the 2023-24 school year. His cognitive abilities are that of an 18-month-old child.

"Perhaps most importantly, he is unable to report the abuse to other people and has severely limited capacity to understand the nature of the wrong being done to him," according to the suit filed in September 2024.

R.E. had been coming home from school with cuts, ripped clothes, pinch marks on his hands and scratches on his face and had been crying more than normal, according to the suit, which additionally states that he showed increased aggression, anxiety, vigilance and agitation, all allegedly caused by one of two behavioral aides.

The same aide made other "forcible physical contact" with the boy's body, causing him substantial physical and emotional pain that amounted to child abuse, according to the suit, which further states that the teen's family learned of the alleged misconduct from a school vice principal. School employees did not report the alleged abuses to law enforcement or county welfare authorities, the suit contends.