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Boy Scouts Sex Abuse Victims Have Only A Few Weeks Left to Bring Claims Forward

September 18th, 2020   No Comments   Sexual Abuse

The Boy Scouts of America was intended as an outlet for young men and women to learn character development and values-based leadership training. The nationwide program has had more than 130 million participants in its 100+ year history. Sadly, the idyllic images of youth coming together for a greater purpose have been tarnished by claims of childhood sexual abuse.

Earlier this year, the Boys Scouts filed for bankruptcy, thus suspending all civil litigation against the organization – including hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits. As reported by CNN, several of the lawsuits allege repeated fondling, exposure to pornography, and forced anal or oral sex.

During the federal bankruptcy proceedings, attorneys for the Boys Scouts and victims agreed on a Nov. 16 deadline for victims to come forward with a claim or be barred from bringing one later. Unfortunately, this is after New Jersey, New York, California, and other states loosened their statute of limitations last year in order to give victims more time to feel comfortable to come forward with their stories.

Under this new deadline, victims would still have the ability to pursue cases against local Boy Scouts councils, but the national organization can no longer be included in lawsuits after Nov. 16.

The national organization of the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) has filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy case. The Bankruptcy Court has set a deadline for filing claims against BSA for sexual abuse that took place on or before February 18, 2020, which is the date that BSA filed for bankruptcy. To read a summary form of the sexual abuse proof of claim bar date notice, please click here.

This case is filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, and the case is known as In re Boy Scouts of America and Delaware BSA, LLC, No. 20-10343 (Bankr. D. Del.). The Bankruptcy Court judge overseeing the case is Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein.

For additional information about what the BSA hopes to achieve through the chapter 11 process, what the BSA is doing to support survivors and how the BSA protects the youth in its programs today, please visit BSArestructuring.org.

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