Bill - I PM'd you.
Joe1234cd - fully agree with your synopsis. I have said for years that loss of charity status, even in Europe would finish them off.
DOC - CSA cases have not been on the decrease since the Org is still full of abusers. JWism is a magnet for active perverts. The prison ministry was actively courting them to come in - that says it all. Now that states have extended statutes of limitations, the flood gates are wide open.
TonusOH - it is difficult to tell how much they spent vs received, but the constant pleas and reminders for donations are a sure indicator that times are lean. Settlements are always less than what might be awarded in court. WTC knows this and dangles "quick closure" in front of litigants. It is hard to resist, but I suspect that during negotiations, WTC suggests that they will otherwise 'fight to the death in court'. One case I am familiar with was particularly egregious. The plaintif was adamant that no settlement would be accepted - until they offered and the attorney said take before they file Chap 11. In disclosure, WTC revealed what I consider to be dangerously low funds given the many attacks they are facing. It certainly must be worse now. I am of the opinion that they have leveraged a large part of the real estate to banks for cash. That would explain why they had LDCs appraise all properties several years ago. They can do this now since they own them all. If they decide to stop making payments, the property is forfeited. This might be why so few KH's that are sold never had signs advertising for sale. Banks got them at a discount and flipped them for a little profit. Only the publishers lost.