The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has sought bankruptcy protection in a move the group says will allow it to build a compensation fund for sex abuse victims and address hundreds of outstanding claims for redress.
The move follows a number of lawsuits filed against the organisation over claims of sexual abuse, alleging it failed to prevent hundreds of cases dating back over decades.
Most of the newly surfacing cases date to the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s; the organisation says there were only five known abuse victims in 2018.
All civil lawsuits against it are now on hold as a result of the bankruptcy application as the group is struggling with declining membership as well as the abuse claims.
“The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologises to anyone who was harmed during their time in scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children,” chief executive Roger Mosby said in a statement.
Court papers filed in Delaware listed liabilities of up to $1bn and assets of as much as $10bn, reports say.
Trump admin wants to require tax filers to disclose citizenship status to IRS
Lawyers, experts urge Tennessee governor to commute Christa Pike’s sentence after botched execution
AOC’s dramatic retelling of Cornell rape allegations collides with complaint details
Trans NYT Executive Faced Child Cruelty Charges Before Shooting Death – Police Say In-Laws Opened Fire
Texts cited by Eric Schmitt at Jack Smith hearing lacked team names: Report
Breaking: Trump Economy Notches Win as US Jobless Numbers Plummet to Half-Century Low Last Seen in 1969
College professor accused of sending explicit Snapchat messages in child solicitation case: sheriff’s office
EXCLUSIVE: Supreme Court prayer grotto case could impact ‘every single zoning law’ in America, attorney says
DOJ reindicts DC pipe bomb suspect after FBI confession transcript released
‘Conspiracy’ Speculation Erupts After Botched Execution of Christa Pike: ‘There’s No Way’
Rerun of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ Leads to Arrest in Cold Case That Haunted Detectives for Decades
Multiple People Dead As Medevac Chopper Crashes Off LA Coast, Weeks After News Helicopter Went Down
Mamdani pledges millions to combat antisemitism while leaving key question unresolved
Democratic Senate Candidate Begs Kamala Harris to Stay Away from His Campaign: ‘Please, No’
Sleeper Senate race emerges as unexpected headache for Republicans ahead of midterms
Among the matters to be addressed in the bankruptcy court are the fate of the Boy Scouts’ assets; the extent to which the organisation’s insurance will help cover compensation; and whether assets of the Scouts’ 261 local councils will be added to the fund.
As Breitbart News reported, the Boy Scouts of America first mooted filing for bankruptcy back in 2018.
On that occasion leadership of the youth organization hired the law firm Sidley Austin LLP to explore a wide range of options, including petitioning for relief under Chapter 11.
Legal experts noted then that filing for bankruptcy would “stave off” at least 140 lawsuits filed against the organization alleging misconduct by scoutmasters.
The Boys Scouts of America has undertaken rebranding efforts since, with the nonprofit renaming itself “Scouts BSA” in 2019.
In May last year, BSA announced girls will be allowed to join the group in the future. “We wanted to land on something that evokes the past but also conveys the inclusive nature of the program going forward,” Surbaugh said at the time of the announcement.
Trump admin wants to require tax filers to disclose citizenship status to IRS
Lawyers, experts urge Tennessee governor to commute Christa Pike’s sentence after botched execution
AOC’s dramatic retelling of Cornell rape allegations collides with complaint details
Trans NYT Executive Faced Child Cruelty Charges Before Shooting Death – Police Say In-Laws Opened Fire
Texts cited by Eric Schmitt at Jack Smith hearing lacked team names: Report
Breaking: Trump Economy Notches Win as US Jobless Numbers Plummet to Half-Century Low Last Seen in 1969
College professor accused of sending explicit Snapchat messages in child solicitation case: sheriff’s office
EXCLUSIVE: Supreme Court prayer grotto case could impact ‘every single zoning law’ in America, attorney says
DOJ reindicts DC pipe bomb suspect after FBI confession transcript released
‘Conspiracy’ Speculation Erupts After Botched Execution of Christa Pike: ‘There’s No Way’
Rerun of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ Leads to Arrest in Cold Case That Haunted Detectives for Decades
Multiple People Dead As Medevac Chopper Crashes Off LA Coast, Weeks After News Helicopter Went Down
Mamdani pledges millions to combat antisemitism while leaving key question unresolved
Democratic Senate Candidate Begs Kamala Harris to Stay Away from His Campaign: ‘Please, No’
Sleeper Senate race emerges as unexpected headache for Republicans ahead of midterms
“We’re trying to find the right way to say we’re here for both young men and young women.”
In the 14 months since then, the youth organization has allowed children who identify as girls to join the Scouts, a controversial move that was seen by some, including Girl Scouts of the USA President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan, as an attempt to raise their diminished enrollment numbers.
The 100-year-old organization could now be forced to sell off some of its vast property holdings to raise money for a compensation fund that could surpass $1 billion.
Story cited here.
