Boy Scouts of America Agrees to $850 Million Settlement for Child Sex Abuse Victims
Posted on: August 16, 2021 Sexual Abuse & Assault Lawsuits
After lawyers for sex abuse victims argued that the original offer from the Boy Scouts to settle child sex abuse claims was too low, the parties announced on July 1, 2021 that they reached an agreement. The $850 million settlement, up from the original $300 million offer, is the largest in United States’ history for a child sex abuse case. Currently more than 84,000 people are part of the lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America which led to the organization filing for bankruptcy protection last year.
Ken Rothweiler, whose firm has the largest number of plaintiffs, stated, “I am pleased that both the BSA and their local councils have stepped up to be the first to compensate the survivors. We will now negotiate with the insurers and sponsoring and chartering organizations who have billions of dollars in legal exposure, of which a substantial portion is necessary to fairly compensate the survivors.”
The Boy Scouts of America agreed that this agreement is a significant step. It also released a statement explaining that:
This agreement will help local councils make their contributions to the Trust without additional drain on their assets, and will allow them to move forward with the national organization toward emergence from bankruptcy. There is still much to be done to obtain approval from the Court to solicit survivors to vote for the BSA’s amended Plan of Reorganization. However, with this encouraging and significant step forward, the BSA is wholeheartedly committed to working toward a global resolution. Our intention is to seek confirmation of the Plan this summer and emerge from bankruptcy late this year.
Moving forward, the BSA has set up mandatory youth protection training and background checks for all volunteers and staff. One-on-one interaction between youth and adults is now prohibited and all suspected abuse is now required to be reported to law enforcement. Boy Scouts leadership has insisted their organization “is safer now than ever before” affirming that 90% of the claims against the organization “occurred more than 30 years ago.”
The entire article can be viewed here.
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If you or a loved one were a victim of sexual abuse, contact our firm today. Our firm handles sexual abuse lawsuits and can help you understand how long you have to file a child sex abuse claim. Call us now at 1-800-941-7209 for a FREE and PRIVATE consultation. Don’t wait; your time to file a claim may be limited.
*Note due to the bar date set by the bankruptcy court, we are unable to take any new claims against the Boy Scouts of America.