i think GaryBuss hit the nail on the head.
The reality is, the elders would have said "hey we were following society rules" and run to the press. The society had to settle because it is, in fact, their policy to protect the molesters, not the victims.
From my JW family point of view, this was an attack by satan, and they avoided it by silencing all parties and paying up.
I think it wouldn't matter if this became public. It would not open the eyes of the blind JW followers anyway. Reality has gone from them they are mindless drones.