Greenwich Boys & Girls Club settles sexual abuse lawsuits brought by six men
GREENWICH — The Greenwich Boys & Girls Club has paid an undisclosed settlement to six men claiming childhood sexual abuse at the club in three separate lawsuits, court documents show.
A Superior Court judge in Stamford had set damages at $4.5 million during a prejudicial remedy hearing, a prelude to a scheduled trial that was avoided by this settlement deal. An attorney for the six victims had sought damages of $19 million to be split between the men, who are all now in their 50s.
Court documents do not disclose the final settlement amount, but it is meant to cover physical and mental injuries as well as potential loss of earnings. A non-disclosure agreement is in place, according to the attorney for the victims, so no party can discuss the settlement.
The six men claim to have been abused by Andrew Atkinson between 1975 and 1984 in various locations at the club and off-site, starting when some of them were as young as 6. A teen at the time, Atkinson was then a locker room supervisor. He has during a past interview denied abusing any children.
The suits, which were consolidated into one case to conserve judicial time and resources, also claimed that at least three adult employees of the club — including the thendirector — knew about the abuse and ignored it.
A fourth lawsuit is pending in New York state under the Child Victims Act. It had originally been filed in Connecticut but was withdrawn last year to be refiled in New York, as some of the alleged abuse took place during a club-sponsored trip to Rye Playland in that state.
All four lawsuits name Atkinson as the perpetrator, but he is not named as a defendant in any of them.
Another six men have spoken out about the abuse they suffered at the club, but their claims could not be pursued due to Connecticut’s statute of limitations, Attorney Philip Russell has said.
The club — which has not disputed the abuse claims in court, only the claim staff knew what Atkinson was doing — has said it respects those who have come forward with abuse allegations.
“The settlement ends four years of litigation, provides meaningful relief for the Plaintiffs, and allows the Club to focus on its mission of serving children in the community,” the club says in a statement on its website. “The safety of our children remains our highest priority for our Club.”
The Greenwich club has served as the “home away from home” for thousands of children, it said in its statement.
“The Club is strong. The Club is thriving. The Club works every day to create a safe, positive and inclusive environment, so the almost 1,600 kids we serve each year are provided with every opportunity to be successful in life,” the statement continues. “We remain confident about the Club’s future, just as we are confident about the future of the children it serves.”
The Greenwich club is a local affiliate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which has said it is continuously working to strengthen safety requirements and training at local clubs and that it takes any allegation or situation that impacts the well-being of children very seriously.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of America is aware of settlements reached in civil claims filed against Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich regarding allegations of inappropriate behavior involving a former employee, dating back nearly 40 years,” the organization said in a statement Thursday. “Although the alleged incidents took place a long time ago, we understand that time does not erase any pain experienced by survivors and their families, and respect those who have courageously brought forward these particularly important concerns. Abuse of any kind runs counter to everything Boys & Girls Clubs of America and all local Clubs stand for, and no harm should come to any child under any circumstance.”
The lawsuits against the Greenwich Boys & Girls Club spurred a lengthy Hearst Connecticut Media investigation into sexual abuse tied to Boys & Girls Club affiliates across the country. The investigation, which resulted in the first known national database cataloging the alleged abuse, has so far found 351 victims in 35 states.
Court documents do not disclose the final settlement amount, but it is meant to cover physical and mental injuries as well as potential loss of earnings. A non-disclosure agreement is in place, according to the attorney for the victims, so no party can discuss the settlement.