Boy Scouts' Liability Insurers Challenge Sex-Abuse ‘Claim-Mining'; Insurers fighting to minimize their exposure in the Boy Scouts bankruptcy case say lawyers submitted thousands of questionable sexual-abuse claims

The Boy Scouts of America's liability insurers threw doubt on the huge increase in sex-abuse claims filed against the youth organization after it filed for bankruptcy, claiming that plaintiffs' attorneys and for-profit claims generators helped gin up tens of thousands of claims with little...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inWSJ Pro. Bankruptcy
Main Authors Randazzo, Sara, Scurria, Andrew
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Dow Jones & Company Inc 25.01.2021
Subjects
Attorneys
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy reorganization
Boys clubs
Compensation
Court hearings & proceedings
Federal courts
Law firms
Liability
Sex crimes
Sexual abuse
Social networks
State court decisions
Torts
Youth organizations
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Summary:The Boy Scouts of America's liability insurers threw doubt on the huge increase in sex-abuse claims filed against the youth organization after it filed for bankruptcy, claiming that plaintiffs' attorneys and for-profit claims generators helped gin up tens of thousands of claims with little or no vetting. In Friday court filings, insurers affiliated with Chubb Ltd. and Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. point to messaging such as an email sent in November by the law firm Junell & Associates PLLC, telling clients that "time is quickly running out" to meet a court-designated deadline and that lawyers "can complete a claim form on your behalf," based on information from an initial phone consultation. The Boy Scouts said in a statement the organization was deeply sorry for abuse suffered in scouting and reiterated a pledge to provide victims with equitable compensation through the bankruptcy process.