Law Suits; And Now It Spreads

[skeptic]

I just noted that a lawsuit has been filed in N.Y. against the Girl Scouts for abuse.  There is also one against a Rockefeller research center that apparently had abuse happen in a youth group study by doctors.  

So, the net spreads, and soon BSA will just be a small part.  How long until the youth sports and Big Brothers and Sisters have their accusations?  

 

[John-in-KC]

The betting pool is open

i give the next suit ... six months. 

[SSScout]

It's gonna be a long, long time.... 

 

[walk in the woods]

I wonder if these aren't the two most important paragraphs:

Quote

The two lawsuits come after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill earlier this week granting a one-year extension to the state’s Child Victims Act. The law temporarily lifts the usual time limits on filing lawsuits for anyone suing over childhood sexual abuse.

The window to file had been due to close this month. But advocates for sex-abuse survivors pushed for the extension, in part by arguing that the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult to put cases together in time to meet the deadline.

Seems like the lawyers lined up against BSA could argue now for an extended extended deadline for people to file, you know, 'rona.

Quote

Weiss-Russell’s suit, also filed by The Marsh Law Firm along with Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, stands out because it appears to be one of the first of its kind against the Girl Scouts, said her lawyer, Jennifer Freeman.

I think Pfau et. al. is one of the firms suing BSA as well.

Quoted Article.

[Jameson76]

Sadly...Let's all jump on the bandwagon

[elitts]

Honestly, I hope that in one of these states that stupidly removes the Statute of Limitations they get such a massive response of people suing schools and government sponsored youth groups/programs that the rest of the states around the country learn their lesson and a decide not to make such stupid choices.

I'm sure there is plenty of liability out there just waiting with: schools, local recreational sports leagues, former Juvenile detention inmates, children in foster care, juveniles held in adult prisons,

[Sentinel947]

49 minutes ago, elitts said:

Honestly, I hope that in one of these states that stupidly removes the Statute of Limitations they get such a massive response of people suing schools and government sponsored youth groups/programs that the rest of the states around the country learn their lesson and a decide not to make such stupid choices.

I'm sure there is plenty of liability out there just waiting with: schools, local recreational sports leagues, former Juvenile detention inmates, children in foster care, juveniles held in adult prisons,

They'll just exempt government entities. 

[walk in the woods]

37 minutes ago, Sentinel947 said:

They'll just exempt government entities. 

Yep.  Besides the people prosecuting these cases already control the schools and teacher's unions.

[elitts]

14 hours ago, Sentinel947 said:

They'll just exempt government entities. 

That would probably have worked 5 years ago, but now?  I think those same legislators that are passing these laws due to political pressure would get absolutely lambasted in the media if they tried that.

[Sentinel947]

4 hours ago, elitts said:

That would probably have worked 5 years ago, but now?  I think those same legislators that are passing these laws due to political pressure would get absolutely lambasted in the media if they tried that.

Depends on the state. New York's is at least consistent, in that it allows public as well as private entities to be sued, but as they were debating the statue change, public organizations were exempt to start. They were lambasted and relented, but that won't always be the case. 

[walk in the woods]

7 hours ago, elitts said:

That would probably have worked 5 years ago, but now?  I think those same legislators that are passing these laws due to political pressure would get absolutely lambasted in the media if they tried that.

Nah, Chicago Public Schools have been in the news for two years now after a Tribune investigation exposed the amount of sexual abuse being covered up.  The new bureaucracy created filed over 450 reports in 2019, https://news.wttw.com/2020/01/06/cps-watchdog-opened-450-new-sexual-misconduct-investigations-2019.  Now many of those weren't substantiated but many were.  The school district isn't being pursued by a hoard of ambulance chasers to my knowledge.

Edited August 7, 2020 by walk in the woods
typo

[CynicalScouter]

2 minutes ago, walk in the woods said:

 The school district isn't being pursued by a hoard of ambulance chasers to my knowledge.

First, then you didn't look. There are literally dozens of state and federal lawsuits pending.

Second, do you consider all civil attorneys "ambulance chasers"?

[walk in the woods]

59 minutes ago, CynicalScouter said:

First, then you didn't look. There are literally dozens of state and federal lawsuits pending.

Second, do you consider all civil attorneys "ambulance chasers"?

Lots of individual suits, yes.  But I don't see any ambulance chasers running ads on Chicago TV with blaring headlines "Were you sexually abused in the Chicago Public Schools?  Then contact Dewey, Chetham, and Howe to get the compensation you deserve!"  I do see those ads against the BSA, 3M, generic personal injury, etc.  But never CPS.

There are civil attorneys and there are ambulance chasers, we all know the difference.

[elitts]

1 hour ago, walk in the woods said:

Nah, Chicago Public Schools have been in the news for two years now after a Tribune investigation exposed the amount of sexual abuse being covered up.  The new bureaucracy created filed over 450 reports in 2019, https://news.wttw.com/2020/01/06/cps-watchdog-opened-450-new-sexual-misconduct-investigations-2019.  Now many of those weren't substantiated but many were.  The school district isn't being pursued by a hoard of ambulance chasers to my knowledge.

Chicago might be something of an exception.  I'd guess that the history of rampant political abuse and corruption there has left the population a little more numb than places that didn't have a R. Daley in their past.

[Sentinel947]

I remember seeing similar articles about Sex abuse in LA schools. Seems like the Lawyers are all over them. https://www.taylorring.com/practice-areas/sexual-abuse-sexual-assault/sexual-abuse-in-schools/sex-abuse-in-lausd/#:~:text=Over the past few years,other LAUSD employees and contractors.

Seriously, this whole situation stinks. There's a balancing act between compensating victims, prosecuting abusers, and holding institutions accountable. It's a terrible tragedy, and nobody is going to come away from it happy. The victims can't get their lives back no matter how much money they get, the people who rely on the institutions have lost trust and tax money/donations. It's harsh stuff.