“The Boyscouts” of America have reached an agreement to pay $850 million in compensation to tens of thousands of victims of sexual harassment, reports USA Today
The Boy Scouts of America declared bankruptcy in February 2020 amid a growing number of claims from victims of harassment and sexual assault at the organization. The latest figures put the number of these complaints at around 90,000.
“This initial $850 million settlement is the largest sexual assault lawsuit in US history,” the publication quoted plaintiffs’ group attorney Ken Rothweiler as saying. Another attorney, Paul Mons, said that together with insurance premiums, the amount could exceed $1 billion. The lawyers are confident that “this is only the beginning … and the fight for money will continue”.
According to various media reports, between 60,000 and 82,000 plaintiffs were entitled to compensation, so the amount proposed on Thursday would involve a payment of $10,000 to $14,000 per plaintiff.
The Wall Street Journal reports that according to the agreement filed in court on Thursday, the organisation is offering to pay the victims $850 million in cash and other assets. According to the paper, the Boy Scouts of America expressed hope that such a move would help them emerge from bankruptcy.
In 2012, the Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of thousands of pages of documents covering 1965 to 1985 on Boy Scouts of America members suspected of sexually abusing boys after a lengthy trial. Typically, the accused were influential people in their communities, most of whom volunteered to be counselors or their assistants. They included police and military officers, teachers, one mayor, doctors and a child psychologist.
The Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910 and since then more than 110 million people have participated in the movement.