Status: 02.07.2021 01:09 p.m.
It is arguably one of the largest sexual violence comparisons in US history: More than 84,000 people sued the US Boy Scouts. Now both sides have agreed on compensation of $ 850 million.
In the abuse scandal among the US scouts, the organization has, according to media reports, agreed with victim lawyers on compensation amounting to 850 million dollars (around 719 million euros).
More than 84,000 people have joined lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), founded 111 years ago, NBC News reports. The agreement that has now been reached is part of the efforts to fairly compensate the victims and to secure the future of the US scouts, it said in a BSA announcement, from which several media quoted.
Victim attorney speaks of failure
A victim’s lawyer rejected the agreement as inadequate in view of the suffering suffered by his clients. “You can not describe it as a failure,” said the lawyer Tim Kosnoff the radio station NPR. The agreement must also be approved by a judge.
It is one of the largest comparisons of sexual violence lawsuits in US history, US media wrote. However, it is just a start, said one of the lawyers. Many other claims are pending.
Allegations against more than 1000 supervisors
In 2012, secret files about abuse by the US Boy Scouts were released. It listed more than 1000 supervisors and helpers of the youth organization who had been excluded from the group between 1965 and 1985 on account of allegations of abuse.
In February 2020, the US scouts filed for bankruptcy. The aim is to compensate all victims of abuse in this way and to continue the tasks of the association in the future, it said at the time. It is a Chapter 11 process of US bankruptcy law that aims to reorganize a company.