Boy Scouts offer to compensate sexual abuse victims in historic $850 million bankruptcy settlement

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://news.yahoo.com/boy-scouts-offer-compensate-sexual-012047031.html

Update: The Boy Scouts say offer signals route out of bankruptcy this
year.

The Boys Scouts of America more than doubled its initial offer of
compensation to sexually abused Scouts late Thursday to $850 million,
setting the stage for an historic settlement as part of the youth
organization's bankruptcy proceedings.

The offer comes more than a year after the nonprofit group filed for
bankruptcy as it faced 275 abuse lawsuits and 1,400 potential claims. By
the November 2020 deadline for victims to come forward, the number of
claims had risen to nearly 90,000, making it one of the largest sex abuse
cases against a single national organization.

"This initial settlement of $850 million is the largest settlement of
sexual abuse claims in United States history," Ken Rothweiler, a lawyer
representing a group of survivors, said in a statement. "I am pleased that
both the BSA and their local councils have stepped up to be the first to
compensate the survivors."

Another attorney representing survivors, Paul Mones, told USA TODAY that
with insurance contributions he expects the amount of the settlement to
grow to over $1 billion. Jordan Merson, also a plaintiffs attorney, held
out hope for more.

"It is important that people see this dollar amount, and know this is not
the end; this is just the beginning," Merson said. "There are billions of
dollars in insurance money, and the fight to get that money is
continuing."

In a statement released on Friday, the Boy Scouts of America characterized
the offer as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy this year.

"Bringing these groups together marks a significant milestone and is the
biggest step forward to date as the BSA works toward our dual imperatives
of equitably compensating survivors of abuse and preserving the mission of
Scouting," the statement read.

Controversy had centered on the lower original offer, particularly from
the hundreds of local Scout councils. In the offer filed in federal
bankruptcy court on Thursday, the councils are shouldering the largest
share: $600 million.

"There was never going to be an agreement that any survivor would be happy
about," Mones said. "What we attempted to do in this negotiation was,
under the circumstances, and with all of the various competing interests,
the best deal possible."

With a reduction in expected eligible victims to about 82,000, the amount
proposed on Thursday would provide roughly $10,000 to each claimant, which
will be provided at different time periods to the survivors. That assumes
an even distribution among survivors and does not reflect issues related
to statutes of limitations or specific acts of abuse.

In addition to the settlement money, Boy Scouts of America agreed to give
the Settlement Trust access to all records related to abuse, as well as
non-monetary compensation such insurance rights and protective measures in
current organization programs.

"We've also seen a very important part of our mission is to do everything
possible to make sure this doesn't continue to occur," said Douglas
Kennedy, co-chair of the survivor's committee.

Kennedy, who said he was abused as a teen on a Scout camping trip, added
that access to records will be beneficial to the public, too, so "anybody
who was an abuser isn't walking around serving other organizations."

More: He posed as a doctor, a wilderness expert. Behind the facade was an
accused molester.

Mones said now the victims who filed claims will vote on the settlement,
which he said he believes they will accept.

However, plaintiffs attorney Michael Pfau questioned whether the offer is
robust enough. In March, USA TODAY estimated the Boy Scouts to be worth
over $3.7 billion, including more than 250 local councils plus various
trusts and endowments.

"The Boy Scouts have disclosed that their local councils have over $1.8
billion in unrestricted net assets, but their latest plan and disclosure
statement fail to disclose how much each council is contributing to this
bankruptcy," Pfau said. "Our clients are already calling us and asking why
this new proposal is acceptable when it appears the local councils have so
much more to contribute."

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jord_mendoza.



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