The Cadets are being sued by a former member for alleged sexual abuse in the 80s

[IllianaLancerContra]

1 minute ago, Jeff Ream said:

And the name changes, location changes….and apparently tax ID changes

You can change your name, but you can’t change your DNA 

[Slingerland]

Official statement from CAE.

==
Comments have been made recently concerning a sexual abuse lawsuit that alleges an incident that occurred on New Year’s Eve 1982 involving the Garfield Cadets. Although Cadets Arts & Entertainment (CAE) has appropriately declined to comment on the pending and ongoing legal matter, the case has been publicly available since its inception and now has become a topic of discussion. CAE provides this brief comment:

The alleged incident, which CAE disputes and denies, occurred more than 40 years ago on New Year’s Eve, not at an official event sponsored by the Garfield Cadets. CAE did not exist until 2020. In May 2019, New Jersey changed its law, extending the statute of limitations and providing a two-year window for civil actions and past sexual abuse claims. In September 2020, a lawsuit was filed against multiple entities bearing the names “the Cadets,” the “Garfield Cadets,” the “Cadets of Bergen County,” and fictitious parties as successor entities. YEA! and CAE were subsequently named as defendants.

The CAE board and the organization's attorneys have vigorously worked to defend the case and to oppose any finding of, among other things, successor liability. Mediation is scheduled for November. Until this lawsuit is resolved, CAE cannot further comment on it or CAE’s financial challenges.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Slingerland

[IllianaLancerContra]

2 hours ago, greg_orangecounty said:

Mediation is a less expensive process and it's done on the belief that two parties can come to a mutual agreement.  Arbitration is a more expensive process and less desirable especially if you have a weak case.  

From what I read in one of court docs judge says  it is going to non-binding arbitration, results of which with either side can reject then going to trial. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by IllianaLancerContra
Words

[MikeN]

Disclaimer - not a lawyer here - but it looks like CAE is arguing that they're not responsible for the actions of Garfield Cadets or YEA.  CAE created a new Tax ID in June of 2020, backdated to April 2020, that predates the complaint.  (I'm assuming for this very reason, as everyone had to know that Post-Hopkins this was a possibility.) 

On the other side, Ms. W.'s attorney argues that when YEA dissolved, the Charitable Distribution Agreement that moved all of YEA's assets over to CAE includes their previous liabilities as well.

From the CAE attorney's filed request for mediation (which they say both sides agreed to), it sounds like in mediation the judge may have more time and leeway to examine the evidence further than they would in arbitration.  Again, though - not a lawyer.

(edit: The Board's published statement echoes the filings - they refute that they're legally tied to Garfield's or YEA's actions.)

Mike

[2000Cadet]

Just F.......... great. More bad news. 

I give up. Have at it y'all. I'm done with this. 

[DAYGO]

So it looks like my son may have marched in the last Cadets season ever.   Who would have known? 

[OldSnareDrummer]

1 hour ago, MikeN said:

Disclaimer - not a lawyer here - but it looks like CAE is arguing that they're not responsible for the actions of Garfield Cadets or YEA.  CAE created a new Tax ID in June of 2020, backdated to April 2020, that predates the complaint.  (I'm assuming for this very reason, as everyone had to know that Post-Hopkins this was a possibility.) 

On the other side, Ms. W.'s attorney argues that when YEA dissolved, the Charitable Distribution Agreement that moved all of YEA's assets over to CAE includes their previous liabilities as well.

From the CAE attorney's filed request for mediation (which they say both sides agreed to), it sounds like in mediation the judge may have more time and leeway to examine the evidence further than they would in arbitration.  Again, though - not a lawyer.

(edit: The Board's published statement echoes the filings - they refute that they're legally tied to Garfield's or YEA's actions.)

Mike

I can somewhat understand CAE's legal position, however, there's legal responsibility and then there's moral responsibility too. This "It didn't happen on my watch" defense is a little lame IMO.  

 

1 hour ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

You can change your name, but you can’t change your DNA 

Very appropriate. 

[IllianaLancerContra]

58 minutes ago, DAYGO said:

So it looks like my son may have marched in the last Cadets season ever.   Who would have known? 

John Does 1-10.  

[DWW11]

Angry.  Furious.  As with SCV, i will sit back and watch what unfolds.  But, and this may seem crass, but I don’t mean it to: does this mean that $$ i donated when they announced a suspension of the 2024 season, $$ i donated to help them get back on their feet, are actually going to be used to defend them for this??? THAT makes me ill.  
and now i am afraid to donate to ANY corps.

[mcjordansc]

If there was not a statute of limitations, there could probably be a 1000 similar lawsuits with their genesis in the 70s and 80s.