LIVE WITH MORE ON A DEADLINE THESE VICTIMS FACE. ATTORNEY JOSHUA GILLISE PI OF LITTLE ROCK REPRESENTS 26 ARKANSANS WHO HAVE FILED SE XUAL ABUSE CLAIMS AGAINST THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, FOR ALLEGED ABUSE THAT OCCURRED WHILE THEY WERE CHILDREN IN THE ORGANIZATION. THE 82,000 VICTIMS NATIONWIDE, INCLUDING 0 90 FROM ARKANSAS HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 14 TO VOTE ON WHETHER TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THE TERMS OF THE SETTLEMENT. GILLISPIE SAYS HIS CLIENTS WILL BE REJECTING THE OFFER. ( "I would estimate that were these to be litigated in court here in Arkansas, my clients claims would be worth anywhere from half a million dollars all the way up to $3 million each. And that's a faiy conservative estimate. And that is, I mean it's jt us a fact. And, you know, tt ha is all the more reason that our Kansans need to e th Arkansas victims these 900 Arkansas victims need to speak with one voice and reject this because, you know, the best thing that could happen for them is that, you know the whole bankruptcy just falls apart. And they get to bring their cases in court, because then we're talking serious money.") ACCORDING TO THE SETTLEMENT OFFER, VIIMCTS WILL RECEIVE VARYING AMOUNTS OF MONEY BASED ON THE ALLEGED ABUSE THEY DURED, AND WHAT STATE THE ALLEGED ABUSE OCCURRED IN. THE MOST MONEY AN ARKATHE MOST MONEY AN AS VICTIM COULD RECEIVED BASED ON THIS OFFER IS JUST OVER 57- THSAOUND DOLLARS. AGAIN THE DEADLINE FOR VICTIMS TO ACCEPT OR REJT EC THE SETTLEMENT OFFER IS DECEMBER 1
Deadline looming for Arkansans to decide on Boy Scouts sexual abuse settlement
![KHBS logo]()
Updated: 9:44 AM CDT Oct 20, 2021
The deadline is approaching for the 82,000 men and women that have filed sexual abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America to vote to accept or reject the proposed $1.8 billion settlement offer. This includes 900 claimants from Arkansas, like William Stevens. When the settlement plan was first discussed in March, Little Rock-native Stevens told 40/29 News "All the money in the world will not take away what was allowed to happen to me and what they covered up. It's the largest sex abuse case in the history of the world against an organization. And that's very hard to fathom."On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Stevens and his attorney, Joshua Gillispie, plan to speak out on the proposed settlement, and why they plan to decline the offer ahead of the Dec. 14 deadline. “They're devastated, ” said Gillispie. “They're feeling like, you know, they feel victimized all over again. I mean, you know, they're devastated, dejected and on and on, I'm struggling to keep hope alive with them, you know, I'm trying to tell them, Look, we're still going to fight. We’ve got to keep fighting.”In the proposed settlement offer, victims would get varying amounts of money based on the nature of the alleged abuse, and which state the alleged abuse occurred in. In the current proposal, the highest amount of compensation an Arkansas victim could earn is $57,771. The “Justice for Vulnerable Victims of Sexual Abuse Act” which was recently passed in Arkansas, increased the statute of limitations for child victims of sexual abuse, which allows Arkansans to be in the top tier of settlement payouts. “I would estimate that were these to be litigated in court here in Arkansas, my client's claims would be worth anywhere from half a million dollars all the way up to $3 million each. And that's a fairly conservative estimate, ” said Gillispie. “And, you know, that is all the more reason that these 900 Arkansas victims need to speak with one voice and reject this because, you know, the best thing that could happen for them is that, you know, the whole bankruptcy just falls apart. And they get to bring their cases in court, because then we're talking serious money.”
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The deadline is approaching for the 82,000 men and women that have filed sexual abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America to vote to accept or reject the proposed $1.8 billion settlement offer. This includes 900 claimants from Arkansas, like William Stevens.
When the settlement plan was first discussed in March, Little Rock-native Stevens told 40/29 News "All the money in the world will not take away what was allowed to happen to me and what they covered up. It's the largest sex abuse case in the history of the world against an organization. And that's very hard to fathom."
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Stevens and his attorney, Joshua Gillispie, plan to speak out on the proposed settlement, and why they plan to decline the offer ahead of the Dec. 14 deadline.
“They're devastated, ” said Gillispie. “They're feeling like, you know, they feel victimized all over again. I mean, you know, they're devastated, dejected and on and on, I'm struggling to keep hope alive with them, you know, I'm trying to tell them, Look, we're still going to fight. We’ve got to keep fighting.”
In the proposed settlement offer, victims would get varying amounts of money based on the nature of the alleged abuse, and which state the alleged abuse occurred in. In the current proposal, the highest amount of compensation an Arkansas victim could earn is $57,771. The “Justice for Vulnerable Victims of Sexual Abuse Act” which was recently passed in Arkansas, increased the statute of limitations for child victims of sexual abuse, which allows Arkansans to be in the top tier of settlement payouts.
“I would estimate that were these to be litigated in court here in Arkansas, my client's claims would be worth anywhere from half a million dollars all the way up to $3 million each. And that's a fairly conservative estimate, ” said Gillispie. “And, you know, that is all the more reason that these 900 Arkansas victims need to speak with one voice and reject this because, you know, the best thing that could happen for them is that, you know, the whole bankruptcy just falls apart. And they get to bring their cases in court, because then we're talking serious money.”
