The Boy Scouts of America has filed a bankruptcy protection petition in the wake of a growing number of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. Approximately 12,000 boys reported sexual abuse from more than 7,800 abusers. That number is expected to increase as more abuse victims come forward. The actual number is likely much higher because many victims have not reported their abuse.
The Chapter 11 petition was filed in Delaware Bankruptcy court on Feb. 18 and puts a “stay” or halt to the large number of lawsuits.
Under pressure from gay rights activists and corporate sponsors, the BSA allowed homosexual boys to join the organization in 2013, adult homosexual scoutmasters in 2015, transgendered youth in 2017, and girls in 2019. The organization has been decreasing in numbers for the past several years.
The BSA indicated the bankruptcy decision was made to keep the organization viable for years to come. Officials reported that they were creating a Victims Compensation Trust in order to give “equitable compensation to victims.”
The petition listed BSA’s assets between $1 billion and $10 billion, with liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion.