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5 July 2021 | Comment | Article by Alan Collins

The Boys Scouts of America agree to largest sexual abuse settlement in the US


Last week The Boys Scouts of America (BSA) have agreed the largest sexual abuse settlement in US history. A preliminary of $850m dollars has been reached for over 600,000 people bringing a claim.

This appears to be a startling figure but the reality for survivors may mean for some (if not all) under settlement because it must be divided between 10s of thousands of victims.

The Scouts in the US have already sought bankruptcy protection and I assume therefore, that the fund is not going to be increased.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) because of its very nature remains hidden for years, if not decades and so insurers will complain and maybe, with justification depending on your point of view, that they have had to pick-up the tab on policies where the premiums were collected with no knowledge of the risk of CSA. As a consequence, survivors and their lawyers often run into the problem of how to recover the compensation in the absence of assets and adequate insurance.

I argue that there should be on all insurance policies, cover for CSA. Of course, that comes at a cost, but it would be cheaper in the long run as evidenced not just by what has happened in the US, but also here in the UK where survivors must look to CICA and elsewhere for redress because those responsible for the abuser were uninsured.

If you have been a victim of abuse in the scouts or other organisation, please get in touch for a free initial consultation.

To read the full article, click here.

Author bio

Alan Collins

Partner

Alan Collins is one of the best known and most experienced solicitors in the field of child abuse litigation and has acted in many high profile cases, including the Jimmy Savile and Haut de la Garenne abuse scandals.  Alan has represented interested parties before public inquiries including the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, and IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse).

Internationally, Alan works in Australia, South East Asia, Uganda, Kenya, and California representing clients in high profile sexual abuse cases. Alan also spoke at the Third Regional Workshop on Justice for Children in East Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok hosted by Unicef and HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law).

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

 

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