NEW YORK (AP) — An $850 million agreement by the Boy Scouts of America to compensate sex-abuse victims prompted outrage Friday from some survivors and their advocates, while others were encouraged and saw it as the best outcome that could be achieved under the circumstances.
The agreement, filed in court late Thursday as a step toward resolving a complex bankruptcy case, includes the BSA national leadership, abuse victims, local Boy Scout councils and lawyers appointed to represent victims who might file future claims.
Lawyer Tim Kosnoff, whose Abused in Scouting legal team says it’s representing thousands of clients, called it “a lousy deal — a sellout of tens of thousands of brave men” because it did not press local councils to contribute the bulk of their unrestricted assets.
Chris Anderson, an accountant from southern California who says he was abused by a Boy Scout troop leader for more than three years in the 1970s, complained about a lack of detail regarding council finances.
“It’s a farce,” he told The Associated Press. “There’s no certainty for the victims at all.”
However, some lawyers representing survivors welcomed the agreement as the best that could be gotten. They noted that negotiations remain to be resolved with the Boy Scouts’ insurers, who potentially could be required to contribute billions of dollars to the compensation fund.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said lawyer Ken Rothweiler, whose firm says it’s representing more than 16,000 survivors. “Now we go after the next step and see what happens with the insurers.”
The BSA sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020, moving to halt thousands of lawsuits by men who were molested as youngsters decades ago by scoutmasters or other leaders. The filing was intended to try 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 restructuring agreement is the result of hard-fought negotiations and plaintiffs’ attorneys “pushed very hard.”
Mason, who is also president of the Greater New York Councils of the BSA, said the councils are contributing “the most that is achievable.”
Irwin Zalkin, whose law firm represents about 150 surviors, warned against reading too much into the agreement, given that many questions remain unanswered.
Those include what percentage of their worth local councils will contribute; what, if anything, local sponsoring organizations such as churches and civic groups might contribute; and how much will be set aside to cover future claims.
“I think it’s a disservice to the victims to put out a media release saying they’ve reached an agreement for $850 million, especially the way they’re taking a victory dance about it,” he said. “To me, I find it just reprehensible.”
Lawyer Paul Mones, who represents hundreds of abuse victims and supports the restructuring agreement, said plaintiffs’ attorneys pushed the BSA and local councils as far as they could.
“We believe this is the best that could have been done,” he said, while acknowledging that abuse survivors could still vote to reject 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. Mones pointed out, however, that many council properties have land-use or donor restrictions making them unavailable to compensate abuse victims.
Regardless of how much the BSA and the local councils contribute or how much insurance companies might be forced to pay, no amount can compensate the abuse victims for their suffering, Mones said.
“This is not a victory for anybody,” he said. “We are dealing in the aftermath of a disaster in these peoples’ lives, and we are trying to build things back with whatever raw materials we have left.”
The Associated Press contacted numerous local scout councils across the U.S. on Friday. Most of the leaders who responded said they did not yet know the amount they’d be asked to contribute and were hopeful they would not have to sell off cherished properties, such as camps.
Doug Stone of the Indian Waters Council in South Carolina said it would not have to sell its camp or any other assets.
“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, the BSA’s president and CEO, Roger Mosby, told the AP earlier this week that some councils would face “a difficult and often emotional decision” regarding camp sales.
Some councils have already taken steps in that direction.
The Greater Hudson Valley Council, which serves several counties near New York City, placed three of its camps up for sale earlier this year as part of its obligation to the fund. The largest is the Durland Scout Reservation, a 1,385-acre property in Putnam Valley that includes two lakes.
Another is Camp Bullowa in Stony Point, where a local official has inquired as to whether the town could purchase it and maintain it for scouting and other recreation.
In Maine, the Pine Tree Council has proposed selling two camps to raise money for the fund, according to the Kennebec Journal. The council did not immediately reply to emails and phone messages Friday seeking an update.
The BSA, in a statement Friday, praised the agreement and said it would help local councils contribute “without additional drain on their assets.”
“There is still much to be done to obtain approval from the Court to solicit survivors to vote for the BSA’s amended Plan of Reorganization,” it said. “Our intention is to seek confirmation of the Plan this summer and emerge from bankruptcy late this year.”
Membership in the BSA has declined sharply since 2019, from more than 1.9 million scouts in its two flagship programs to less than 770,000.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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This is from memory. Quite a few years back the scouts came under a lot of pressure because they weeded out homosexuals from their scout leaders. Discrimination! They acquiesced. Now they are harvesting what was sown by acquiescing.
The minute they started allowing homosexuals in, I knew that it would become a hunting ground/buffet for what’s known as, “Chicken Hawks”, older boys or men that love defiling younger boys. Homosexuality is a sin, and sin loves destroying whatever is innocent and Satan is very busy… that’s why we have so much sexual abuse, abortion, and gender confusion now with children. They are what is most precious to God, and Satan knows it!
This should be a wake up call to society.
When the government gives LGBTQ the right to force their beliefs, actions, life style upon others who are NOT LGBTQ is a time bomb as it is with the BSA.
The dishonorable socialist Democrat Party revolves around and its philosophy is based on Control, Hate, Lies, Cons, Deceptions, Immorality and the lack of Integrity, Ethics or Honor.
To fully advance the Demonic, Dishonorable Socialist Democrat Party’s destructive agendas of socialism, dividing our citizens with hate, open borders, gun control, radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, the LGBTQ lifestyle, unfettered sexual identity, transgender “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan Liberal left Democrats must do away with our Constitution, GOD, common sense, morality, Christian values and free religious exercise altogether.
Under the guise of “anti-discrimination.”
I wonder, SINCE THEY LET gays in, how many MORE rapes have occurred?
Boy Scouts used to weed out homosexual leadership. Then they were sued by homosexuals to be let in. Boy Scouts caved. Can’t have it both ways. Now the Boy Scouts allow transgenders in.
Remove your boys from the Boy Scouts.
OK, the “abused” are awarded a lot of money. It seems that the scouts don’t have wherewithal to pay the large fines, and probably don’t intend to pay up! Maybe insurers will ultimately generate some cash.
Interesting there IS NOT ONE WORD in the article about anyone being held responsible for the abuses! The article says there are upwards to 16,000 victims (survivors) but no-one is named or charged for the abuse??? Will the abusers be charged and prosecuted??
Since the abusers are homosexual then they will not be prosecuted because they are a protected class.
MORE protected, than the kids they abuse!
As with many class action lawsuits, the lawyers will probably rake in many millions while the plaintiffs get a few lousy dollars. The lawyers will justify this by saying the plaintiffs would have gotten nothing if it hadn’t been for the lawyers representing them. A sad joke!
That’s why i hate it, when i see all those lawyers adverts “IF you have been XYZ, call the law office of ABC”..
THEY GET at a bare minimum (From all i have seen), 35% of what you win.. Some gain 45%…
Reminds me of what happened in the Roman Catholic Church with the altar boys of scouting age. I am proud of being a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Explorer Scout without having such terrible experiences hiding in the closet of my mind…thank you, God.
Unless the monetary awards are intended to cover medical (psychologist?) bills and other actual costs, their purpose is to be punitive–i.e., to make the organization “hurt” enough to serve as a disincentive, and specifically NOT to make the physically & psychologically abused victims “whole” somehow. Unfortunately, in our present cultural climate, heeding this admonition not to hire victimizers will inevitably result in a discrimination lawsuit based on its “disparate impact” on certain members of society.