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NEW YORK – An $850 million settlement by the Boy Scouts of America to compensate sex-abuse victims prompted outrage on Friday from some survivors and their advocates, while others were encouraged and seen as the best outcome. which could have been achieved under the circumstances.
The settlement, filed in court late Thursday as a step toward resolving a complicated bankruptcy case, includes BSA national leadership, abuse victims, local Boy Scout councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who will file future claims. can do.
Lawyer Tim Kosnoff, whose Abused In Scouting legal team says it is representing thousands of clients, called it “a lousy deal – selling thousands of brave men” because it contributed large portions of its unrestricted assets to local councils not pressured to do so.
Chris Anderson, a Southern California accountant who says he was abused by a Boy Scout troop leader for more than three years in the 1970s, spoke about the lack of details about the council’s finances. Complained.
“It’s a farce,” he told the Associated Press. “There is no certainty for the victims.”
However, some lawyers representing the survivors welcomed the settlement as the best that could be achieved. He noted that negotiations with insurers of the Boy Scouts have yet to be resolved, which could potentially need to contribute billions of dollars to the compensation fund.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said attorney Ken Rothweiler, whose firm says it is representing more than 16,000 survivors. “Now we go after the next step and see what happens with insurers. “
The BSA sought protection from bankruptcy in February 2020, moving to prevent thousands of lawsuits by men who had been molested as youth by Scoutmasters or other leaders decades earlier. The filing was intended to attempt to reach a global resolution of abuse claims and create a compensation fund.
Richard Mason, an attorney and chairman of an ad-hoc committee representing local councils in the case, said this week’s reorganization agreement is the result of hard-fought negotiations and that plaintiffs’ lawyers “pushed too hard.”
Mason, who is also the chairman of the BSA’s Greater New York Council, said councils are contributing “the most that is achievable”.
Irwin Zalkin, whose law firm represents about 150 survivors, warned against reading too much into the agreement, noting that many questions remain unanswered.
These include what percentage of local councils they deserve will contribute; what, if anything, local sponsoring organizations such as churches and civic groups can contribute; And how much will be set aside to cover future claims.
“I think it’s an absurdity to issue a media release to the victims saying they’ve reached a settlement for $850 million, especially because of the way they’re doing a victory dance about it.” are,” he said. “To me, I just find it reprehensible.”
Lawyer Paul Mons, who represents hundreds of abuse victims and supports the reorganization agreement, said the plaintiffs’ lawyers pushed the BSA and local councils as far as they could.
“We believe this is the best that could have been done,” he said, acknowledging that abuse survivors could still vote to decline the agreement.
Zalkin and other critics note that the councils have more than $1.8 billion in unrestricted assets, but are contributing only $600 million to the victims’ fund. Mons pointed out, however, that many council properties have land-use or donor restrictions, making them unavailable to compensate abuse victims.
Mons said that no matter how much the BSA and local councils contribute or how much insurance companies may be forced to pay, no amount can compensate abuse victims for their suffering.
“It’s not a victory for anyone,” he said. “We’re dealing with these people’s lives after a disaster, and we’re trying to make things back with whatever raw materials we have left.”
The Associated Press contacted several local Scout councils across the US on Friday. Most of the leaders who responded said they did not yet know whether they would be asked to contribute and hoped they would not have to sell valuable properties such as camps.
Doug Stone of the Indian Waters Council in South Carolina said he would not have to sell his camp or any other property.
“We own Camp Barstow outright,” he said. “We’re not going to put a mortgage on it. We’re not going to sell it. It’s going to stay.”
However, Roger Mosby, BSA’s president and CEO, told the AP earlier this week that some councils will be faced with “a difficult and often emotional decision” regarding the sale of the camp.
Some councils have already taken steps in this direction.
The Greater Hudson Valley Council, which serves several counties near New York City, put three of its camps up for sale earlier this year as part of its obligation to fund. The largest is Durland Scout Reservation, a 1,385-acre property in the Putnam Valley that includes two lakes.
Another is Camp Bulova in Stony Point, where a local official has inquired whether the city can purchase it and retain it for scouting and other entertainment.
In Maine, the Pine Tree Council has proposed selling two campsites to raise money for the fund, according to the Kennebec Journal. The council did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages for updates on Friday.
The BSA praised the agreement in a statement on Friday, saying it would help local councils contribute “without an additional drain on their assets”.
“There is still a lot to be done to get approval from the court to urge the survivors to vote for the revised plan of restructuring the BSA,” it said. “We intend to confirm the plan this summer and emerge from bankruptcy later this year.”
Membership in the BSA has declined sharply since 2019, from more than 1.9 million Scouts across its two major programs to less than 770,000.
From Nation World News
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