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.
State Department considers sharing passport records for voter citizenship checks
Kentucky trooper, father of 3, gunned down during traffic stop as suspect captured after manhunt
Lindsay Clancy holdout juror asks for one thing in new video after mistrial drama
Trump CMS faces bipartisan pushback over Medicare proposal tied to Biden-era drug pricing law
AI Companies and Major Unions Join Together for New Data Center Push
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Criticized Over ‘Welfare-To-Work Requirement’ Video That Depicts Young White Male as the Problem
Dem Senate nominee breaks silence after Susan Collins’ office was vandalized with vulgar message
Department of Education Officially Axes Biden’s ‘Illegal Title IX Rewrite’
‘Insulting’: Ex-Trump official’s ‘dishonest’ campaign ad triggers conservative revolt
Huckabee Announces Update on New US Embassy in Jerusalem Project
Fake Rabbi Catfishes Gaza Propaganda Photographer, Offers to Make His Dream Come True, Then Ruins It with Hilarious Reveal
GOP Sen. Susan Collins’ Office Vandalized with Vulgar Message Amid Tight Midterm Race
Team USA Presidents Cup Captain Says Trump ‘Gets All the Credit’ for Epic Comeback Win
El-Sayed questions ethics of football in resurfaced audio
WATCH: NYPD bodycam captures tense standoff after Bank of America exec fatally stabbed in Times Square
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.
State Department considers sharing passport records for voter citizenship checks
Kentucky trooper, father of 3, gunned down during traffic stop as suspect captured after manhunt
Lindsay Clancy holdout juror asks for one thing in new video after mistrial drama
Trump CMS faces bipartisan pushback over Medicare proposal tied to Biden-era drug pricing law
AI Companies and Major Unions Join Together for New Data Center Push
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Criticized Over ‘Welfare-To-Work Requirement’ Video That Depicts Young White Male as the Problem
Dem Senate nominee breaks silence after Susan Collins’ office was vandalized with vulgar message
Department of Education Officially Axes Biden’s ‘Illegal Title IX Rewrite’
‘Insulting’: Ex-Trump official’s ‘dishonest’ campaign ad triggers conservative revolt
Huckabee Announces Update on New US Embassy in Jerusalem Project
Fake Rabbi Catfishes Gaza Propaganda Photographer, Offers to Make His Dream Come True, Then Ruins It with Hilarious Reveal
GOP Sen. Susan Collins’ Office Vandalized with Vulgar Message Amid Tight Midterm Race
Team USA Presidents Cup Captain Says Trump ‘Gets All the Credit’ for Epic Comeback Win
El-Sayed questions ethics of football in resurfaced audio
WATCH: NYPD bodycam captures tense standoff after Bank of America exec fatally stabbed in Times Square
“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.
