Cadets Declare Bankruptcy

Well, I’m shocked and saddened by this news, but I am not surprised.

Cadets Arts & Entertainment (CAE) filed for voluntary chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. This action was unfortunately taken as a result of, among other factors, a sexual abuse lawsuit that was filed in September 2020, six months after CAE was formed. The lawsuit names, among other defendants, CAE and alleges that an incident occurred on December 31, 1982, at an unofficial event of the Garfield Cadets. CAE is compassionate to anyone who has experienced assault of any form. CAE has also vigorously defended the case. In response to motions to dismiss, the court found that plaintiff-stated causes of action require CAE and all successor organizations to defend this suit.

https://cadets.org/cadets-arts-entertainment-cae-files-bankruptcy

Unfortunately, this was a long time coming for the Cadets organization. Ever since Tricia Nadolny’s 2018 article exposing George Hopkins as a sexual assaulter, the Cadets have fought to stay afloat. Shutting down Cadets 2 and YEA, selling USBands, and moving to Erie, PA. were all moves to keep the Cadets going, but the rising costs of the activity were already an issue, and this lawsuit was the final nail in the coffin.

If you know a member of the Cadets family, please support them. As somebody who has lost their corps to bankruptcy, I have some understanding of what they’re going through