Chicago City Wire

Hurley McKenna and Mertz, P.C  issued the following announcement on July 2

The Boy Scouts of America have reached an $850 million agreement with attorneys representing some 60,000 victims of child sex abuse. According to Chicago attorneys representing thousands of victims, “This settlement is a bittersweet resolution for the generations of children that the Boy Scouts of America failed to protect.” 

Hurley McKenna and Mertz, P.C., is a Chicago law firm that represents more than 4,500 victims of Boy Scout sexual abuse, including approximately 4,000 men that filed claims for damages in the bankruptcy court. These attorneys also represent one of the members of the Tort Claimant’s Committee – the Committee tasked with negotiating on behalf of scouting sexual abuse survivors nationwide. 

In reaction to this week’s settlement, According to Hurley McKenna and Mertz’s founding partner Christopher Hurley:

“This is a historic step towards closing the door on a horrific chapter in the Boy Scouts of America. While the $850 million is a significant start, it only represents money contributed by BSA and Local Councils. Neither insurance companies nor chartering organizations have contributed to the settlement trust. Negotiations will continue in the coming months with insurers with chartering organizations. 

“No amount of money can undo the harm inflicted upon scouts nationwide. That said, this is an important first step towards righting the wrongs of the past and Hurley McKenna & Mertz supports this deal. We look forward to continued negotiations with the aim towards fairly and equitably compensating victims.

“This settlement is a bittersweet resolution for the generations of children that the Boy Scouts of America failed to protect.  While there is some satisfaction in seeing the Scouts acknowledge their fault, and magnitude of this settlement is historic, not one of my clients would have traded money for his lost youth.”

Read more about Hurley McKenna & Mertz, P.C.’s work representing victims of Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse here:  https://www.hurley-law.com/practice-areas/boy-scouts-of-america-sexual-abuse/