A Superior Court judge has approved a $3 million settlement for Rock Church in San Diego, California, ending the church’s involvement in a civil case tied to the 2022 death of 11-year-old Arabella McCormack, whose death authorities say resulted from severe malnourishment and abuse.
Rock Church photo via Google Maps / Insert of Arabella McCormack
According to court records, Rock Church—led by former NFL player Miles McPherson—will pay the settlement through its insurance carrier. The agreement is part of a broader series of settlements that, in total, exceed $30 million.
The civil case came after Leticia McCormack was charged with first-degree murder and torture in Arabella’s death. Leticia adopted Arabella in 2017, along with Arabella’s two younger sisters. Police also arrested Leticia’s parents. All three face torture and child-abuse counts involving all three children. Leticia pleaded not guilty in 2022.
The civil lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, mandatory-reporting failures, civil-rights violations, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress—claims tied to repeated failures to act on suspected abuse.
The suit also accuses multiple defendants—ranging from Leticia and her parents, to the City of San Diego (including police and fire-rescue agencies) and the County of San Diego, including Child Welfare Services—and names Rock Church in part because Leticia served there as an elder and volunteer.
In November 2022, People Magazine reported that Rock Church issued a statement saying it no longer has an official relationship with Leticia.
Speaking to the Rock Church congregation in November 2022, McPherson reportedly called the news about Leticia “bewildering” because “there were so many background checks done.”
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She was, after all, a foster mother, a regular volunteer with local law enforcement, and a trusted church volunteer. Because of this, Leticia had numerous background checks that “checked out,” including ones conducted by law enforcement, Child Protective Services, as well as Rock Church.
MinistryWatch reached out to Rock Church for further comment, including what, if anything, it has changed or learned—especially in situations where a member or volunteer presents as highly trusted: active in the community, well-regarded, and cleared through background checks. MinistryWatch will update this article in the case of a reply.
According to the suit, following Arabella’s death, church member Janet Horvath reported that when she visited the McCormacks’ home in December 2021, she thought Arabella’s two siblings looked like “little ghosts.”
Horvath said that when she visited, the McCormacks kept Arabella upstairs, out of view. The lawsuit says Horvath later acknowledged feeling uneasy because the two girls she did see looked “fragile” and noticeably smaller than her own grandchildren—concerns that, in the moment, may have been difficult to reconcile with a family with such a good community standing, and she knew through church.
Horvath was also part of a Rock Church prayer group that prayed for the McCormack girls. According to the documents, Leticia McCormack told the group that Arabella had “bad behaviors,” that they couldn’t have visitors, and that the family was dealing with “spiritual warfare” and “demonic activity” connected to Arabella. The lawsuit alleges the group kept these concerns within the church and did not report them to authorities or take steps to protect the children.
The lawsuit alleges Rock Church employee Kevin Johnstone—a child-abuse investigator and safety operations manager—visited the McCormacks’ home multiple times, including seeing all three children the week before Arabella’s death, and that he was not employed by, trained by, or approved by Child Protective Services.
It adds that in the weeks and months before Arabella’s death, the girls’ neglect and abuse would have been apparent—describing them as severely emaciated and victims of prolonged starvation, isolation, lack of medical care, torture, and abuse—and that Johnstone’s knowledge, gained while acting within the scope of his church role, is imputed to the Rock Church and should have been communicated to church leadership, including Pastor Miles McPherson.
Last month, Rock Church released a statement reflecting on the settlement. It said the church remains “deeply saddened by the tragic and devastating loss of Arabella McCormack, and the injuries and losses suffered by her two younger sisters,” and added that they “are hopeful” that the settlement will help pave the way for healing.
“The safety and well-being of our church family is of the highest priority. We will continue to uphold biblical discernment and wisdom, along with clear policies, strong safeguards, and accountability measures across all ministries as we rely on God’s grace and mercy to guide us forward,” it said.
Other defendants in the civil case have also reached settlements: the City of San Diego for $10 million, San Diego County for $10 million, and Pacific Coast Academy for $8.5 million.
A settlement hearing involving the church is scheduled for January 23, 2026.
The settlement, awaiting final approvals from local government bodies, offers restitution, but questions about accountability and oversight remain unresolved.
In the state of California, the penalty for a mandated reporter failing to report an incident of reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect according to the state’s requirements is up to six months of jail time and/or a $1,000 fine.
To date, no one has initiated a legal prosecution. It is unclear whether prosecutors will charge anyone from Rock Church, the City of San Diego, or San Diego County.
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