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-ever 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 trial judge.
The man alleges he was sexually abused by New Fairfield scout leader Siegfried Hepp.
A Boy Scouts spokesman says the organization disagrees with the verdict and will review the decision.
A message seeking comment was left Monday at phone listings for Hepp in Connecticut and Florida. He wasn't a defendant in the lawsuit.
