A new lawsuit against the Knights of Columbus may shake up this powerful socially conservative organization. The suit claims the group falsely inflates its membership numbers and fails to account for inactive and dead members. As a result, local chapters pay dues for “phantom Knights” who haven’t actually joined the group. The plaintiffs are seeking $100 million in damages. The case is scheduled to begin in US District Court in Denver on Monday.
In the lawsuit, a man claims that he was abused by a youth leader for over six years.
The man claims that the leader plied him with drugs, pulled a gun on him, and threatened him and his family with physical harm. Both men claim that they were sexually abused by the youth leader. The attorney for both men believes this is the first Knights of Columbus lawsuit related to sexual abuse.
In addition to the Knights of Columbus’s alleged illegal practices, the lawsuit also claims that the Knights of Columbus is unable to remove members from their membership lists. According to the suit, it is nearly impossible to remove a member from the membership roster. The organization doesn’t record any changes, so the pool of potential members grows. Additionally, the Knights of Columbus are mostly unpaid volunteers and are forced to pay for inactive members out of pocket or through charity funds.
In one of its last court cases, the Knights of Columbus was found guilty of violating a contract between a large technology company and a small, volunteer-run technology firm.
The company sued the Knights of Columbus after the organization failed to designate them as a vendor for its membership list software. In that case, the plaintiffs sought $100 million in damages and are now suing. In addition to violating the contract, the Knights are accused of inflating membership numbers.
Another Knights of Columbus lawsuit alleges that the organization failed to provide the services its members needed to stay in business. This lawsuit is not the only lawsuit filed against the organization. Many other organizations have a similar problem. Many members don’t pay dues. However, the Knights of Columbus are not responsible for this problem. They may have inflated their membership records to increase their income. The claims aren’t limited to membership fees.
The Knights of Columbus claims to have 1.9 million members worldwide.
The lawsuit claims this figure is inflated by 30%. In addition, the organization has a long history of superior financial ratings, with an A+ rating from AM Best. But that isn’t enough to stop the group from inflating its membership numbers. In a separate case, the Knights of Columbus claim that they have a vastly superior financial rating.
In the Knights of Columbus lawsuit, the organization denies the allegations. They have a longstanding retention process that reflects their values and beliefs. Their membership is growing by about a thousand members every day. The suit says the Knights of Columbus inflated their membership numbers to increase their life insurance rating. But they aren’t doing that. Rather, they inflated their membership numbers in order to make them look good for potential customers.
The lawsuit also states that the Knights of Columbus inflated membership numbers to increase its tax-exempt status.
While the Knights of Columbus have denied the allegations, it is a good idea to have your own proof. A legal team can prove that the Knights inflated membership numbers to boost their insurance rating. If this happens, the case may be dismissed. Regardless, it will certainly have a significant impact on the charity’s finances.
The Knights of Columbus is denying the claims against them. A federal jury has found that the Catholic organization breached its agreement with a small technology firm. The plaintiffs cite the failure to disclose certain details of its business dealings in their affidavit. The ruling comes after the Knights of Columbus have resisted the Knights’ claim. The lawsuit also shows that the knights aren’t obligated to pay the damages claimed by the plaintiff.
