Jury rules in favor of Boy Scouts council in abuse case
A Travis County jury deliberated for almost 10 hours before returning a verdict Friday in favor of the regional council of the Boy Scouts of America, ordering the organization to pay only 5 percent in damages to three men who were sexually abused as children by one of its troop leaders.
The panel of eight women and four men found the Capitol Area Council was negligent for not enforcing its youth protection policies but that it did not fail to respond to any report of inappropriate touching, nor was it liable for not removing former Scout volunteer Martin E. Turner from his position.
The jury ruled the majority of the blame rested on Turner, 70, and his wife, Elizabeth Turner, who also were initially listed as defendants in the case but were dismissed as parties during the trial after an agreement was reached between attorneys on both sides of the case.
Outside the courtroom, the majority of jurors declined comment. Mike Norris and Brenda Reese said the decision was complicated and they preferred not to explain their reasoning.
More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/jury-rules-in-favor-of-boy-scouts-council-in-abuse/nWmSb/ .
