The Boy Scouts of America files bankruptcy after many victims come forward to accuse scoutmasters, troop leaders and other scouts of sexual assault. It dates back for decades. Time is still available to file a civil litigation for justice.
About Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States. There are almost 3 million children and over 1 million adults within BSA. There are many boys who love scouting and had no issues, but for the past 100 years, there are many children who have been sexually abused.
Since 1920, BSA had to establish a “red flag” system to tag sexual predators. Now, it is called perversion files. Even though this is a well-documented issue in the organization, BSA does nothing to prevent sexual abuse from happening. In fact, using a secret internal policy called “probation”, pedophiles can continue working with scouts.
Boy Scouts Sexual Assault
The Boy Scouts now faces 275 sexual assault lawsuits in state and federal courts around the country. Also, there are 1,400 potential claims. BSA will use the Chapter 11 process to create a Victims Compensation Trust to compensate victims. From 2017 to 2019 the group paid $150 million in settlements and legal costs.
Settlements began in 2010 with a landmark case resulting in $19.9 million in damages. The case caused a release of more than 20,000 confidential documents. The records showed more than 1,000 banned volunteers. The group tracked these suspected and known abusers, yet failed to report them to the police nor parents. These cases date back to the 1920s, yet were covered up. Since 1981, the Boys Scouts have been sued 50 times and totaled $15 million in damages.
The group added more training, background checks and warning messages to parents and kids in the handbook. However, they still tried to cover up the abuse and block the release of the files. Therefore, more children were sexually assaulted.
Get Legal Help
Survivors of sexual abuse can file civil suits against perpetrators and other responsible parties, regardless of the outcome or existence of criminal prosecution. Civil lawsuits can help a survivor seek monetary damages. This compensation can never change the abuse suffered but can help rebuild a life.
When a club takes advantage of you, this is wrong. We will hold these institutions liable.
Plus, a civil suit can deter future abuse. This is why it is important if you or a loved one were the victims of sexual abuse to contact The Michael Brady Lynch Firm. We will provide a free consultation and instruct any avenues available to you for civil litigation.