US Boy Scouts seeks bankruptcy protection over abuse lawsuits (ETA will sell Norman Rockwell art)

[essentialsaltes]

The Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation’s oldest and largest youth organizations, filed for bankruptcy protection late Monday as former Scouts’ legal claims of past sexual abuse continue to mount.

The Scouts’ Chapter 11 petition, filed in Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, comes amid declining membership and a wave of new sex-abuse lawsuits after several states, including California, New York and New Jersey, recently expanded legal options for childhood victims to sue.

The bankruptcy petition, filed on behalf of Delaware BSA LLC early Tuesday, Eastern Standard Time, lists assets of zero to $50,000 and liabilities of $100 million to $500 million. The Scouts statement noted that local Scouts councils are not part of the bankruptcy.

The Chapter 11 action will allow the Boy Scouts of America to reorganize and restructure its finances. Lawyers for accusers say the move also is aimed at shielding billions more in real estate and other assets held separately by local Boy Scout councils from being tapped to settle abuse claims.

Some Catholic dioceses caught up in the church’s sex abuse scandal employed the same tactic, in part to protect parish assets against claims.

Many of the lawsuits followed the Los Angeles Times’ publication in 2012 of internal Scout records involving about 5,000 men on a blacklistknown as the “perversion files,” a closely guarded trove of documents that details sexual abuse allegations against troop leaders and others dating back a century.

In its yearlong examination of the files, The Times documented hundreds of cases in which the Boy Scouts failed to report accusations to authorities, hid the allegations from parents and the public or urged admitted abusers to quietly resign — and then helped cover their tracks with bogus reasons for their departures.

 

[Skewpoint]

If the BSA goes away in the next few years, I won't complain. Bleed 'em dry.

 

[Archivist]

I have fond memories of my time in the Boy Scouts. It is very sad that this has happened.

 

[TLK Valentine]

I'm sure a lot of those scouts themselves sought protection... and found none. #reapwhatyousow

 

[essentialsaltes]

LINK

The Boy Scouts of America, struggling to stay afloat while compensating tens of thousands of survivors of past sexual abuse, on Monday pledged to provide a victims’ trust fund with at least $300 million from its local councils and proceeds from insurance policies and the sale of a collection of Norman Rockwell oil paintings.

The 379-page plan, filed late Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, did not place a total on how much the 111-year-old youth organization is willing to pay to settle more than 85,000 sex abuse claims by former scouts.

While the size of the compensation fund has yet to be determined, it will benefit from the proceeds from hundreds of artworks, including more than 50 paintings by Rockwell.

The fund also will receive at least $300 million from local councils, according to the plan. But those contributions will be voluntary, the Scouts’ filing said, and there was no breakdown of how much each council would pay.

 

[cow451]

I have fond memories of my time in the Boy Scouts. It is very sad that this has happened.

Unfortunately there were many victims and the BSA was a great cover for predators.

Youth groups have been hunting grounds for perps. About 20 years ago, one of my daughters signed up to play a sport in a rec league. I called the Director about some paperwork and asked how they vetted coaches. She was quite indignant, stating "We know these coaches and they are good people." I suggested that basic background checks might be worthwhile for liability purposes. Needless to say she was quite unreceptive. Needless to say, either my wife or I were at every practice and there were no "private" lessons or other situations where the adults were unsupervised.

A few years later the liability carrier started mandating background checks.

 

[Archivist]

Unfortunately there were many victims and the BSA was a great cover for predators.

Youth groups have been hunting grounds for perps. About 20 years ago, one of my daughters signed up to play a sport in a rec league. I called the Director about some paperwork and asked how they vetted coaches. She was quite indignant, stating "We know these coaches and they are good people." I suggested that basic background checks might be worthwhile for liability purposes. Needless to say she was quite unreceptive. Needless to say, either my wife or I were at every practice and there were no "private" lessons or other situations where the adults were unsupervised.

A few years later the liability carrier started mandating background checks.

And I recognize that there have been many victims. I just said that I have fond memories of my time in the Boy Scouts. I never had to deal with any of those issues. Not saying that protections for children are unnecessary or that they shouldn't have to pay damages.

 

[cow451]

And I recognize that there have been many victims. I just said that I have fond memories of my time in the Boy Scouts. I never had to deal with any of those issues. Not saying that protections for children are unnecessary or that they shouldn't have to pay damages.

Just sad that programs like this have been misused.