WATERBURY, Conn. – A Connecticut jury has issued a $7 million verdict against the Boy Scouts of America in a lawsuit by a man who says he was sexually abused by a scout leader in the mid-1970s.
Lawyers for the man say the decision handed down Friday in Waterbury Superior Court was the largest verdict for compensatory damages against the Boy Scouts of America. The jury also found the Boy Scouts liable for punitive damages, with the amount to be determined by a judge.
A Boy Scouts spokesman says the organization disagrees with the verdict and will review the decision.
The man alleges he was sexually abused by New Fairfield scout leader Siegfried Hepp. A message seeking comment was left Monday at phone listings for Hepp in Connecticut and Florida. He wasn't a defendant in the lawsuit.
