Boy Scouts Sex-Abuse Settlement Ties Payouts to Severity and Location
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A sex-abuse compensation program unveiled by the Boy Scouts of America would pay victims based not only on the severity of abuse they endured but also where it happened, taking into account the states where victims have had the opportunity to sue abusers regardless of when their abuse occurred.
The proposal outlines a range of possible payments, from $3,500 for sexual abuse that involved no touching, to as much as $2.7 million for sexual penetration by an adult perpetrator and other aggravating circumstances, according to court papers filed Thursday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The longer the abuse went on and the more severe it was, the higher the payments under the Boy Scouts’ settlement plan.
The Boy Scouts were dogged by abuse claims for years, but only turned to bankruptcy after several states—California, New York, New Jersey and North Carolina among them—enacted laws allowing victims the opportunity to sue even if their abuse occurred decades ago.
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