LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

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Res Ipsa
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by Res Ipsa »

IHAQ wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:10 pm
The offered amounts have not been well received...
On September 14, 2021, the Official Tort Claimants' Committee (TCC) in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that it does not support the BSA's proposed settlements with Hartford Insurance Company ($787 million) or The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints ($250 million). The TCC, represented by Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (PSZJ), views the settlements as grossly unfair to the 82,500 survivors who were sexually abused as children. The TCC was appointed by the Office of the United States Trustee as the official representative for all survivors of childhood sexual abuse and it will not sell out survivors for a quick pay that does not deliver the justice they deserve.

The TCC calls attention to major flaws contained in the proposed settlements. The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (LDS) is not paying reasonable compensation for the broad releases of the sexual abuse claims that occurred in local councils controlled by LDS. LDS had direct involvement in every aspect of the Scouting program. If approved, the proposed settlement yields an average $3,000 payment for each claim. Instead, the TCC maintains that LDS is being handed a "get-out-of-jail card" in exchange for an unreasonably low sum.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tort-cla ... Qx43ZK2dEj

That suggests there are more than 80,000 claimants (abused kids) against the LDS scouting program. Why did the Prophet not intervene at any point?
"In a case where half of the abuse includes multiple instances of penetration and masturbation of children, payments in the range of $10,000 - $12,000 do not begin to justly compensate survivors," said James Stang of PSZJ. "The Tort Claimants' Committee will oppose the LDS and Hartford settlements and any other settlements that fail to compensate survivors fairly," Stang added.
There are 82,000 total claimants. It appears that the $3,000 per claimant figure represents just what it says “per claimant” — not “per former LDS troop member claimant.”
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Dr Exiled
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by Dr Exiled »

Res Ipsa wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:12 pm
Sledge wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:08 pm


More useless clickbait. This has almost nothing to do with the church, which is mentioned as

I disagree. The settlement fund is part of a settlement reached earlier between the BSA and claimants in sexual abuse cases. What BSA gets out of that settlement is a release of liability from those claims.

But BSA does not have the financial ability to fund the entire settlement fund. To give other sources of funds incentive to contribute, the local councils, chartered organizations, and insurance companies were not included as parties to be released in the BSA settlement agreement.

If the Church sits back and lets other Parties fund the settlement, it will still be exposed to liability for sexual abuse in LDS sponsored trips. Plus, it could be liable to the BSA for any breaches in the charter requirements that resulted in abuse being permitted to occur.

There is no incentive for the LDS Church to fork over a quarter of a billion dollars unless it is getting something of value in return. I don’t whether the reporter in this article was just sloppy or whether the terms of whatever agreement was made are “confidential”, but if anyone thinks the LDS Church paid this much money without getting a release from the individual abuse claimants in the bankruptcy, they simply have no idea how settlements actually work.

This has everything to do with the LDS Church buying complete peace on an enormous bundle of sexual abuse claims, avoiding the risks of trial and discovery. And a quarter of a billion bucks isn’t “almost nothing.”
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by BeNotDeceived »

$250 million for a real estate corporation with approx. $500 billion in assets is like me paying $30.00 with a net income of $75,000. :lol:
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Dr Moore
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by Dr Moore »

It would have been a bigger number if the church had continued sponsoring scout troops. Good counsel, which the church has plenty of, would have made that call on day one. I bet the church saved $500M or more by cutting out scouting support when it did. And I bet KM deserves all the credit.
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by BeNotDeceived »

Dr Moore wrote:
Thu Sep 16, 2021 8:03 pm
It would have been a bigger number if the church had continued sponsoring scout troops. Good counsel, which the church has plenty of, would have made that call on day one. I bet the church saved $500M or more by cutting out scouting support when it did. And I bet KM deserves all the credit.
Yup. Incredible, an institution that prides itself on honesty and integrity and righteousness ( :lol: ) severs ties with an organization and leaves them hanging out to dry after it was a partner with it for decades in order to avoid financial damages caused by mostly individuals who were members of their 'church'. Is there any shame atop the hierarchy of this organization??? Holy smokes! :x
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by Kishkumen »

The real Church of Jesus Christ would have made sure each victim had fully funded college at minimum. This Church keeps allowing private interviews of minors by adults and tries to minimize its debt to suffering victims of abuse. Disgusting. One of those times I am reminded of how good it is to be out. What a shame. Church of Jesus Christ? Ahem.
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Re: LDS Church pays $250m to settle scouting sex abuse claims

Post by sock puppet »

Dr Exiled wrote:
Wed Sep 15, 2021 4:03 pm
Abusers are probably among all groups, but, overzealous adherence to the false narrative of superiority leads to cover-up and lawsuit settlements such as this. Perhaps it's time for Mormons to come down off of the false mountain and join society? Maybe "God's chosen people," assuming God exists, are all people? I think if the church leaders were willing to admit that all cannot be well within the ranks, perhaps the cover-ups would lessen? However, humble superiority is what they sell and sales might fall if mediocrity were acknowledged.
Excellent observations. Arrogance. Phony narratives to cover up their numerous blemishes, in the past both distant and recent. The LDS church preaches that if you pay tithing, God will provide for you. But if you send your kids to church programs, apparently God won't protect them from being sexually abused by church leaders, but will pony up a pittance later to avoid being held fully responsible.
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