Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is a century-old organization. In the previous years, approximately 85,000 cases of sexual abuse were reported by former scouts against the leaders and scoutmasters employed by BSA. Recently, states including New York and California have granted permission to more people to come forward and file claims against BSA. This means that a large sum will have to be paid by BSA for compensating for the physical and mental harm endured by the survivors. Following are the top 10 news Trends in Boy Scouts Abuse Settlement amounts that you would like to know.
- BSA made a huge settlement proposal
$220 million was the figure decided as the Boy Scout abuse settlement amount recently. BSA considered such a massive proposal of settlement would be enough for compensating the sexual abuse claimants for their inconveniences. Furthermore, it is expected that an additional amount of $300 million will be issued by local councils for supporting the cause. Although, this proposal was rejected by the attorney representing the claimants as they deemed it insufficient.
- BSA filed for Bankruptcy
In Feb 2020, BSA filed for bankruptcy as the sexual abuse cases kept on piling and the organization simply had no resources or didn’t want to pay for such a hefty Boy Scout abuse settlement amount. BSA also didn’t want to involve its national councils in this case which is why they filed for bankruptcy.
- BSA was already financially struggling
Before getting to know how much the Boy Scout abuse settlement amount will be, know about how much BSA can actually pay. In the last year, the revenues of BSA took a deep dive because of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic was responsible for closing the organization and halting various Scouting programs. This also weakened the Boy Scout membership. Although the organization is aiming to emerge from the expensive bankruptcy process quickly, the current financial situation doesn’t make this easier.
- Norman Rockwell paintings will be sold by BSA for paying claimants
BSA has declared that a $300 million worth fund will be established for victims, so payments due from sexual abuse lawsuits can be paid off. To do so, Boy Scouts of America decided to sell its collection of the Norman Rockwell paintings. Among numerous artworks, BSA owns 50 oil paintings of Norman Rockwell, which can contribute towards the Boy Scout abuse settlement amount. However, it is expected that this proposal will be rejected as well by the accusers’ attorneys as it doesn’t include real estate properties.
- Court granted privacy option to the victims
Several sexual abuse victims couldn’t report their sexual abuse cases even when they wanted to. The reason behind this was because they felt shame in coming forward and compromising their privacy. That is why, courts have made a new development, in which any sexual abuse claimant against BSA can protect his identity. No public records will contain their names and no unnecessary attention will be given to them. This step proved against the BSA as now more and more claimants came forward demanding their share from Boy Scout sexual abuse settlement amount.
- Victims will have to rush
The bankruptcy court has maintained that all victims could file their sexual abuse claims till November. The attorney representing BSA also claimed that a settlement amount must have to be decided by the mid of 2021, otherwise, the organization will run out of cash and would seize to simply function. This creates a sense of urgency for victims, as it might be possible that only those claimants will receive compensation who filed the claim first.
- Insurance companies denied to pay
The insurance companies of BSA have become scared of such a horrifying number of cases and have simply denied paying any damages. According to those organizations, they are not responsible for these misdoings of BSA which they could easily avoid if they wanted to.
- Settlement amount for each claimant
In case the proposed settlement amount by BSA becomes accepted, then it is expected that approximately $6,000 amount will be received by each claimant if an equal distribution of the total amount takes place.
- BSA’s condition for paying out compensations
BSA has declared that they will use all unrestricted investments and cash for paying out the victims. However, they have demanded $75 million in return, to keep the organization functioning.
- Several allegations against BSA hiding assets
Several allegations have been made against the BSA organization, regarding them hiding their assets illegally in offshore accounts. The victims’ lawyers have been asserting that these assets should be used for paying the Boy Scout abuse settlement amount. However, nothing has been proved until now.
