A group representing Boy Scouts of America sex abuse survivors is urging a judge to reject insurers' requests for more details about the survivors' claims filed in the youth organization's bankruptcy case, Reuters reported. The Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice made its statements in court papers filed on Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The group called the insurers' request for more information about the sex abuse claims "wasteful and ugly games" and a delay tactic "to prevent the (Boy Scouts) from reorganizing on terms that treat sexual abuse victims fairly." The dispute between the insurers — affiliates of Chubb Ltd and Hartford Financial Services Group — and the survivor representatives comes as the Boy Scouts, represented by White & Case, aims to submit a restructuring proposal that would settle widespread allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades. The chapter 11 case has been going on since last February. The insurers filed papers in January suggesting some of the 95,000 claims filed in the case may be fraudulent, noting that some plaintiffs' attorneys working with the coalition filed "implausibly high" numbers of claims on behalf of survivors. A hearing on the motion, as well as the insurers' recent motion seeking more disclosures about who the coalition represents, is scheduled for Feb. 17 before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein. Chubb and Hartford said in their filings that several plaintiffs' firms conducted an "extraordinary claim-mining operation" that has resulted in some sex abuse claims that "are deficient on their face." They say that some plaintiffs' lawyers ran a deceptive media campaign that may have resulted in illicit claims filed against the organization and failed to vet the claims that were submitted. The insurers argue that it will be nearly impossible to obtain court approval of a reorganization plan that attempts to address 95,000 sex abuse claims. In its response, the coalition says the insurers are focused on attacking the lawyers involved "whenever possible" and that their motion for more details about the sex abuse claims are "filled with invective and unsubstantiated allegations."
