Boy Scouts Of America Sexual Abuse Survivors Say "Reject And Vote No To Settlement" And Stop Ongoing Abuse
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Survivors of Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse are urging fellow Survivors to REJECT and vote NO on a proposed Modified Fifth Amended Plan of Reorganization (Plan) of the Boy Scouts of America.
"'NO' is the only response," said Doug Kennedy, Vice Chairman of the Official Tort Claimants' Committee (TCC) and a Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse Survivor. "The only path to successfully eliminating abuse from programs serving children ? including the Boys Scouts of America ? is outside oversight, expertise, and review. It is unacceptable to let child predators slip through the cracks and continue to sexually abuse children."
"A 'NO' vote is the only way to force the Boy Scouts of America to stop protecting child predators and start protecting children and Survivors," said James Stang of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, Counsel to the TCC. "Did you know the Boy Scouts of America have refused to share a file of known child predators, called the 'Ineligible Volunteer' or 'IV files,' with the public? A 'NO' vote sends a message to the Boy Scouts of America, Local Councils, and the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice that a fair and equitable settlement is the only path forward. Because the settling co-liable insurers, Local Councils, and former troop sponsors are financially strong, the low settlements with them in the Boy Scouts' Plan put Survivors on a path to receiving historically low ultimate recoveries."
"For Survivors and the parents of current and future children in Scouting, the goal is to eliminate sexual abuse and the Boy Scouts of America refuse to share their files on child predators, the Ineligible Volunteer files, with the public," said John Humphrey, Chairman of the TCC and Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse Survivor. "There are over 82,200 known Survivors. One is too many. The only thing that will protect current and future children in Boy Scouts of America is legally-binding requirements for transparency and external expertise, oversight, and review, and a meaningful settlement for Survivors. A 'NO' vote is the only way to send the message. If Boy Scouts of America was committed to true public transparency then it would release the Ineligible Volunteer files (IV) or 'Perversion Files.' As Survivors, we are calling for FULL public transparency, 10% of the BSA Board made up of Survivors, the release of all data, input by experts, AND meaningful involvement of Survivors in the governance of the Survivors Trust."
The current proposed Modified Fifth Amended Plan of Reorganization (Plan) of the Boy Scouts of America does close to nothing to protect children today and in the future: there is no outside expertise or oversight, and it lets BSA keep their Perversion Files protecting predators and documenting reported abuse locked up. It also leaves over a billion dollars of cash and property with the Local Councils that could go to better compensate the 82,200 known Survivors of sexual abuse.
The TCC was appointed by the Office of the U.S. Trustee, which is an arm of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, to represent the interests of all Boy Scouts sexual abuse Survivors. The Survivors that make up the TCC do not receive any extra funds for fighting the Boy Scouts and their allies.
The TCC conducts weekly Town Hall meetings every Thursday to educate Survivors about the Plan and the proposed settlements. You can find the Zoom information about upcoming meetings including this Thursday, November 4 at 8:00 PM (Eastern) at www.tccbsa.com.
A full schedule of future Town Hall meetings and prior Town Hall transcripts and videos can also be found at www.tccbsa.com.
The TCC, led by sexual abuse Survivors, opposes the Plan and the proposed settlements with The Hartford Insurance Company, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Boy Scouts Local Councils because the amounts are historically low. The Local Councils are contributing a smaller fraction of what they have the ability to pay and a smaller fraction of the liability against them. All but one of the Chartered Organizations are contributing nothing towards their release from more than 40 years of sexual abuse claims, granting them complete absolution from their responsibility to compensate 82,200 childhood sexual abuse Survivors.
More information on the restructuring can be found at www.tccbsa.com.
SOURCE Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones
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