Dianne Willmore, who passed from mesothelioma in 2009, won a landmark £240,000 case, holding Knowsley Borough Council liable for her asbestos exposure during school. Her case prompted legal and financial ramifications for local authorities nationwide, leading to increased awareness and changes in asbestos-related negligence proceedings.
Shane Flynn, 35, owner of a Mullingar clinic, was convicted of sexual assault after inappropriately touching a client seeking back pain relief. The investigation also revealed 18 hours of footage showing Flynn secretly filming 35 women during massages, raising further concerns about his conduct and abuse of trust within his practice.
Naveed Rana, a Dublin taxi driver, was sentenced to five and a half years for the assault of an 18-year-old woman after a night out. The court heard how Rana took advantage of the victim’s trust, driving erratically and assaulting her before being apprehended due to her quick actions in reporting the incident to Gardaí.
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With almost 2.2 million members aged between 7 and 21 and nearly 1 million volunteers in local councils, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), founded in 1910, is one of the largest non-profit youth organisations in the United States. Former presidents of the BSA include ex-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former Secretary of Defence Robert Gates.
The BSA filed for bankruptcy after sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the organisation in several states, claiming the organisation failed to prevent incidents from occurring.
Comprising of 261 councils, they operate local troops and own land in many states as well as other assets which amount up to 70% of the BSA’s assets. Although filing for bankruptcy put all civil lawsuits on hold, the process will allow the organisation to build a compensation fund for its victims, while protecting their councils.
Battling declining membership and abuse claims, the filing made under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code allows the organisation to continue operations and pay its creditors over time. Bankruptcy also enabled the BSA to deal with all its lawsuits in one court, allowing them to make a settlement instead of using its capital to fight individual court cases. Reports revealed that the organisation had liabilities amounting to $1 billion and assets amounting to as much as $20 billion. Other non-profit organisations facing sexual abuse claims include the Catholic Church and USA Gymnastics, who have resorted to bankruptcy to deal with the claims against them.
Chief executor Roger Mosby made a statement saying, “The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologises to anyone who was harmed during their time in scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children. While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process – with the proposed trust structure – will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission”.
Research, however, revealed that after advertising around the country, the Abused in Scouting group found approximately 2000 people with complaints.
The BSA has stated its councils which are financially independent and legally separate of the organisation, had not filed for bankruptcy.
Shane Flynn, 35, owner of a Mullingar clinic, was convicted of sexual assault after inappropriately touching a client seeking back pain relief. The investigation also revealed 18 hours of footage showing Flynn secretly filming 35 women during massages, raising further concerns about his conduct and abuse of trust within his practice.
Naveed Rana, a Dublin taxi driver, was sentenced to five and a half years for the assault of an 18-year-old woman after a night out. The court heard how Rana took advantage of the victim’s trust, driving erratically and assaulting her before being apprehended due to her quick actions in reporting the incident to Gardaí.
Pat Murphy, a 34-year-old father, died after a ruptured artery went undiagnosed at Cork University Hospital. Despite suffering severe chest pains, he faced a nine-hour wait for a CT scan, delayed further by a malfunctioning machine. His family claims this delay contributed to his tragic death.
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