Hundreds of men across the U.S. are signing up with lawyers to sue the Boy Scouts for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders.
The expected wave of litigation poses a financial threat to the Boy Scouts that could trigger bankruptcy.
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Hundreds of men across the U.S. are signing up with lawyers to sue the Boy Scouts for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders.
The BSA has repeatedly apologized and says it now has policies to curtail abuse.
Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., and his son Darrell Jackson Jr., are photographed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The elder Jackson was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., poses for a photo in New York's Central Park, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Luna, who describes his current life as "blessed," says he still has psychological scars from abuse suffered as a scout in New York City in the 1970s. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, 56, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Suffering abuse as a scout in the 1970s, he says, "In my head, there's still anger. I struggle with that." (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Even during a 26-year-marriage _which produced five children before ending in divorce _ Luna says he never told his wife about the molestation. He abused drugs and alcohol to keep the bad memories at bay, and underwent years of therapy that finally paid dividends. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
For some of the men, it's an emotional challenge to recall the abuse and the decades of psychological damage that resulted.
Darrell Jackson, 57, of The Bronx, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. He was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
The BSA has repeatedly apologized and says it now has policies to curtail abuse.
Attorney Jason Amala, from Seattle, talks with client Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Jackson is among hundreds of men across the United States who have reached out to lawyers in recent months, seeking help in suing the Boy Scouts of America for damages related to sex abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of scout leaders. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Darrell Jackson, of The Bronx, N.Y., and his son Darrell Jackson Jr., are photographed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. The elder Jackson was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Despite receiving psychological counseling over the years, Jackson's marriage broke down. His childhood dreams of becoming an oceanographer long since faded, but he cobbled together a career in home remodeling and maintenance. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., poses for a photo in New York's Central Park, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Luna, who describes his current life as "blessed," says he still has psychological scars from abuse suffered as a scout in New York City in the 1970s. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, 56, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Suffering abuse as a scout in the 1970s, he says, "In my head, there's still anger. I struggle with that." (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
Ray Luna, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is interviewed in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Even during a 26-year-marriage _which produced five children before ending in divorce _ Luna says he never told his wife about the molestation. He abused drugs and alcohol to keep the bad memories at bay, and underwent years of therapy that finally paid dividends. (AP PhotoRichard Drew)
