Missouri Christian camp blames insurance company for its choice to withhold info on sexual abuse

Kanakuk Kamps alleges its insurance company discouraged camp leadership from disclosing information about sex abuser to families.
A Branson-area Christian summer camp accused of covering up years of sexual abuse of its students is suing its insurance company, claiming it threatened to deny coverage if information about abuse was made public.

Kanakuk Kamps filed a cross claim last month against ACE American Insurance Co. as part of a 2022 lawsuit filed by a former camper who says his family was tricked into signing a “fraudulent” settlement agreement after he was sexually abused by a camp director.

The insurance company “threatened to deny Kanakuk coverage” if the camp were to disclose the abuse of former director Peter Newman to families, Kanakuk’s attorneys argue in the cross claim.

If the former camper, Logan Yandell “has suffered damages as alleged,” Kanakuk’s cross claim argues, “….such damages were caused by [ACE American Insurance Co.] and not by Kanakuk.”

Yandell called Kanakuk’s argument, “blame-shifting.”