The closely associated perversions of homosexuality and child sexual abuse found a happy home in the Boy Scouts of America, it now appears, with claims from past victims now far surpassing those of the American Catholic Church.
Over 74,000 sex-abuse accusers are now seeking monetary damages from the Boy Scouts of America ahead of a Nov. 16 bankruptcy court deadline, The New York Post reports.
Lawyer Andrew Van Arsdale of the group Abused in Scouting said on Nov. 14: “There are over 74,000 claims [for damage] filed as of this morning, and it dwarfs anything we have ever seen in the history of institutional child sexual abuse.”
Victims had until 5 p.m. on Nov. 16 to file a damages claim against the Boy Scouts in federal bankruptcy court. Another attorney, Jordan Merson of Manhattan firm Merson Law, put the number of victims at 73,000.
Lawyer Jason Amala of the firm Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Amala quoted the number of victims who have come forward at a much lower 61,000 — still a staggering number who claim to have been abused during their time in Boy Scouts, and well over the 12,000 victims once tabulated by the organization itself. “Nothing can undo the damage that the Boy Scouts have caused to tens of thousands of survivors across the nation,” he told The Post.
“While the passage of the bar date means survivors can’t file claims against the national organization, theres still a chance for survivors to secure justice,” he added.
