More than 60,000 males who claimed they were sexually molested by scout leaders during their adolescence achieved a $850 million settlement with the Boy Scouts of America.
What Happened: A court filing in the United States disclosed the settlement. The District of Delaware’s Bankruptcy Court.
In February 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy, citing 275 abuse lawsuits and 1,400 potential claims from men who claimed they were assaulted while growing up in the organization. The number of claims had risen to approximately 90,000 by November 2020.
The settlement amount is around $10,000 per claimant, and the organization agreed to give the Settlement Trust access to its data connected to abuse allegations and nonmonetary compensation, as well as its insurance rights and current protective measures within its programs.
In a press statement, Ken Rothweiler, a lawyer representing a group of claimants, claimed, “This initial payment of $850 million is the largest settlement of sexual abuse claims in United States history.”
According to statistics published in March by USA Today, the Boys Scouts of America is worth more than $3.7 billion, encompassing over 250 local councils and different trusts and endowments.
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What’s New: Scouting appears to have lost a lot of its luster. According to an Associated Press report, membership in the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts programs declined 43 percent from 1.97 million in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2020, while engagement following the Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy filing fell even lower to around 762,000 young participants.
The Girl Scouts of the United States, which are not affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, have seen a 30 percent drop in enrollment from nearly 1.4 million in the 2019-2020 era to just over 1 million this year.
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