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Why Did Boy Scouts File Bankruptcy

Did Boy Scouts File For Bankruptcy

Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy Amid Allegations Of Sexual Abuse
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Did Boy Scouts File For Bankruptcy. The boy scouts of america filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on monday in an effort to keep operating while thousands of claims of sexual abuse by former members have been launched against the national youth group. The boy scouts of america said it hopes to continue providing outdoor activities and progams as it has done for more than 100 years after it filed the national organization announced that it has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy as it aims to settle scores of lawsuits which claim scoutmasters and.

The boy scouts estimate 1,000 to 5. On one level, it’s business as usual. Did the boy scouts violate their own honor code by filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy? Today, the national organization of the boy scouts of america filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy to achieve two key objectives: Nbc news reports that by filing for chapter 11 protection.

Why Are There So Many New Claims Of Sexual Abuse In The Boy Scouts

A 2019 ad campaign launched by lawyers for the alleged victims to get out the word about sex abuse in scouting is just one reason that tens of thousands of men have come forward with claims of abuse in the last several years.

The surge in claims can be at least in part attributed to the popularity of the #MeToo movement, which broke into the mainstream in 2017. One 17-year-old in Michigan, who spoke to TIME for a story on sex abuse in the Boy Scouts on the condition of anonymity, attributed his decision to join the suit to the wave of victims speaking out about sexual violence in other realms. I have been hearing good things about this whole #MeToo movement, he said. I figured yeah, if I could help this not happen to other kids, then why not join?

Psychologists and doctors who study child sex abuse say that men tend to disclose instances of assault much later than women because they face a different set of societal standards and in part fear facing homophobia, even if they do not identify as queer.

There is a stigma of coming forward for both women and men, Eli Newberger, a pediatrician who studies abuse at Boston Childrens Hospital, told TIME last year. Unfortunately for men, there is the extra shame that you were not able to protect yourself, that you were found to be powerless.

Additionally, the Boy Scouts declared bankruptcy in February, limiting the amount of time that scouts who claimed abuse could bring a suit against the organization.

Whats Going To Happen To The Boy Scouts After Organization Files For Bankruptcy Protection

A statue stands outside the Boys Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas.LM Otero | The Associated Press

Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the 110-year-old organization to carry on.

The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del., sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen.

Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states statute-of-limitations laws.

The bankruptcy petition listed the Boy Scouts’ assets as between $1 billion and $10 billion, and its liabilities at $500 million to $1 billion.

“Scouting programs will continue throughout this process and for many years to come,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement. “Local councils are not filing for bankruptcy because they are legally separate and distinct organizations.”

The Boy Scouts are just the latest major American institution to face a heavy price over sexual abuse. Roman Catholic dioceses across the country and schools such as Penn State and Michigan State have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.

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The Revelation Of The Perversion Files

Several civil suits reviewed by USA TODAY, including two filed by Abused in;Scouting,;allege that Boy Scouts knew it had a rampant child sexual abuse problem as far back as the 1920s but;hid;the issue to protect its wholesome image.;;

In a 1935 New York Times article, the chief scout executive;detailed a red flag system for weeding out volunteers who had been;removed from the organization for various causes, including moral perversion.;That is the;system;that;decades later;would;come to be;known;as the;perversion files.;

Those files again made news in the 1980s;when;they were entered into evidence in civil suits in Virginia and Oregon.;The Oregon case resulted in a $3.7 million verdict against Boy Scouts, the largest of its kind at that point in U.S. history.;;;

According to a;1993;CBS investigation, Boy Scouts had;been sued more than 50 times since 1981, paying more than $15 million in damages. Yet, when;national Scout representatives were;asked if they;required all troops to perform background checks on volunteers,;or;whether;video training for volunteers to help spot potential abuse;was;mandatory, a Boy Scout representative;said no.;;

Boy Scouts has since adopted more assertive;Youth Protection;trainings, background checks and messaging for kids and parents warning of potential dangers, including a;How to Protect Your Child from Child Abuse insert;in the scout;handbook.;;

Boy Scouts could have gotten ahead of this early on but literally chose not to,;he;said.;

Bsa Files For Bankruptcy After Lawsuits

Boy Scouts bankruptcy is good news for victims, the ...

The cases against the Boy Scouts are no normal court proceeding. The organization filed for bankruptcy in February as hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits were filed across the country some of which alleged repeated fondling, exposure to pornography and forced anal or oral sex.

When it filed for bankruptcy, the BSA said it was outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our program to abuse innocentchildren.

The bankruptcy filing, which effectively placed the lawsuits on hold, had been a matter of speculation since at least December 2018. In April 2019, court testimony indicated that the organization believed more than 7,800 of its former leaders had sexually abused at least 12,000 children since the late 1940s.

Alleged survivors will now have to pursue their claims in bankruptcy court rather than via civil proceedings, Michael Pfau, a Seattle-based attorney representing hundreds of alleged victims, told CNN in February.

Their lives won’t be scrutinized, but they lose their right to a jury trial. For a lot of abuse survivors, telling their story in a court of law and forcing the organizations to defend their actions can be cathartic. That won’t happen with a bankruptcy, he said.

Pfau estimated at the time that the number of claims would surpass those targeting the Catholic Church.

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The Long History Of Scouting In America

Founded in England by cavalry officer;Robert Baden-Powell,;the scouting movement;made its way to the United States;in 1909 thanks to Chicago newspaperman William D. Boyce.;Seven years later, Congress unanimously passed a charter that helped enshrine Boy Scouts as a respected;U.S.;institution.;;

From the outset,;Boy Scouts has operated;on a;decentralized;structure, much like the Catholic Church, with;the National;Council;serving as more advisory;body;and;much of the day-to-day operations,;including;some;fundraising, happening at the local level.

The youth organization;says;110 million;Americans have;participated;at some time;in their lives, with;a peak of;more than 4 million members a year in the 1970s. Some of those members;included;future;astronauts,;Supreme Court justices;and presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Gerald Ford.;

The organization also;has;played an important;role;in American culture.;;

Norman Rockwell started his career creating;illustrations for the Boy Scouts Hike Book, becoming art editor for;its monthly;Boys Life magazine at 19. He’d go on to create dozens of works featuring Scouts,;including;during his stint at The Saturday Evening Post. The Scouts still;own;about 70 of the famed artists works.;;;

The Boy Scout;mission;embodied in its oath;;to keep myself physically strong,;mentally awake, and morally straight;;inspired;major contributions from;other icons and business leaders;as well.;

Boy Scouts Sexual Abuse Case: What Could Happen Next

The Boy Scouts of America bills itself as a high-profile values-based youth organization aimed at molding impressionable children into upstanding citizens. But thousands of boys say they were preyed upon by the scoutmasters who were supposed to be their role modelsand that Boy Scouts leadership long covered up their crimes.

TIME has confirmed that approximately 92,700 people have now filed sex abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America ahead of the Nov. 16 deadline set to demand damages from the organization.

The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in February under the mounting financial strain of sex abuse lawsuits. Under the Chapter 11 filing, the organization will reorganize and establish a victims compensation fund. A judge set the Nov. 16 deadline to allow alleged victims a final opportunity to file claims.

TIME reported last year that hundreds of men and boys were coming forward for the first time with accounts of rape and assault suffered as children at the hands of scoutmasters. The number of victims has since ballooned into the tens of thousands, in a moment reminiscent of the slew of abuse claims levied against the Catholic Church.

Sadly there was an unspoken norm that sexual abuse of children would occur in the Boy Scouts, Andrew van Arsdale, one of the attorneys representing the people alleging abuse, said in a statement to TIME.

They added that they are working to protect current scouts.

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Boy Scouts Of America Files For Bankruptcy Amid Barrage Of Sex

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Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the 110-year-old organization to carry on.

The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen. Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states statute-of-limitations laws.

READ MORE: Cash-strapped Boy Scouts mortgage vast ranch amid growing wave of sex-abuse lawsuits

The bankruptcy petition listed the Boy Scouts assets as between $1 billion and $10 billion, and its liabilities at $500 million to $1 billion.

Scouting programs will continue throughout this process and for many years to come, the Boy Scouts said in a statement. Local councils are not filing for bankruptcy because they are legally separate and distinct organizations.

The Boy Scouts are just the latest major American institution to face a heavy price over sexual abuse. Roman Catholic dioceses across the country and schools such as Penn State and Michigan State have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.

What Does Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Mean For The Boy Scouts Of America

Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits

Simply put, Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection allows the Boy Scouts of America to keep doing business as usual while actively settling its debts the debts here being BSAs responsibility for sexual abuse claims by Scouts and former Scouts. There are two major factors that make this possible which should be on the radar of anyone considering filing a sexual abuse claim against the Boy Scouts of America: a claims bar date and financial reorganization.

Claims Bar Date:;An important part of this process provides that the court set a claims bar date, which is a date marking the deadline by which all survivors must formally file a claim with the court. In this case,;the claims bar date is November 16, 2020.;After this date, a survivor could be denied any sort of recovery from the Boy Scouts of America. This helps the Boy Scouts of America limit the number of claims that can be submitted and makes filing in the future more difficult. In a way, this is a lot like the organization hitting the Reset button; giving it a fresh start and leaving survivors yet-to-submit-a-claim left with the burdens of the past and limited means for relief.

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What To Do Now

* Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions.

* Please keep in mind that all text is machine-generated, we do not bear any responsibility, and you should always get advice from professionals before taking any actions

Boy Scouts To File Back

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The Boy Scouts of America is planning to file an amended reorganization proposal by Tuesday that would include a back-up plan if it cannot secure the support it needs from sexual abuse survivors who are seeking compensation from the youth organization.

Boy Scouts attorney Jessica Lauria of White & Case made the announcement during a virtual status conference before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein in Wilmington, Delaware on Monday afternoon. She said that recent mediation among the organization, its insurers, and various groups representing survivors has led to momentum but no global deal on its proposed restructuring plan.

The youth organization filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 in the face of nearly 300 lawsuits accusing troop leaders of sexual abuse spanning decades. The Boy Scouts submitted a reorganization plan proposal to the bankruptcy court in March that would establish a settlement trust for the approximately 85,000 sexual assault claims filed in the Chapter 11 case. The trust would be funded through a mix of cash, artwork, certain oil and gas interests and insurance policies. The plan also calls for local councils, which are not debtors in the bankruptcy, to contribute $300 million to the trust in exchange for releases against future potential lawsuits.

A hearing on the exclusivity period is set for Thursday.

The tort claimants committee recently estimated in court papers that the claims are worth $102.7 billion.

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Girl Scouts Get Out In Front Of Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Crisis With Proactive Messaging

On February 18,;the Boy Scouts of America formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Exemplifying the Girl Scouts of the USA motto of Be prepared, the organization promptly sent messaging guidance to all of its members, which includes volunteers and parents.

This messaging is informative, timely and well done.

Kudos to the Girl Scouts for being ready to protect and defend its brand, and for preparing its memberswho may have to field questions from the public at Girl Scout cookie program booth salesas news of BSAs bankruptcy made national headlines.

This is a great example of proactive, pre-crisis thinking. And its also a lesson in internal communications; that is,;sharing accurate information in a timely fashion with front line representatives of an organization. This is a textbook case of using proactive messaging to distinguish your brand from co-petitors in the news.

The talking points below come via an email from the Girl Scouts of Orange County, California.

At Least 92000 Have Filed Sex Abuse Claims Against The Boy Scouts Legal Team Says

Boy Scouts bankruptcy: Day of reckoning for group that ...

The Boy Scouts of America will be facing at least 92,700 claims of sexual abuse as former scouts submit filings against the bankruptcy-bound organization, said one of the lead attorneys for the legal team representing the claimants.

The initial estimate of 82,000 claimswas released on Sunday. The updated number of 92,700 came from bankruptcy court after the 5 p.m. deadline for submitting claims Monday, attorney Andrew Van Arsdale told CNN in an email.

Gill Gayle, 58, who lives in Los Angeles but was raised in Alabama where he says he was twice abused as a scout in the 1970s, said this many people coming forward brings awareness to the issue in BSA.

I’m not pleased there’s that many men this has happened to, Gayle said. I am glad this many reports is grabbing people’s attention and will prevent other children from being assaulted we were.

Gayle says he worked hard trying to be a part of the outreach to victims, saying he wanted as many men to come forward as possible. I wanted them to know that what they went through would be recognized.

We are devastated by the number of lives impacted by past abuse in scouting and moved by the bravery of those who have come forward, a BSA statement said. We are heartbroken that we cannot undo their pain.

Sex abuse in the BSA was an unspoken norm, according to Van Arsdale, one of the lead attorneys who says he has communicated with thousands of alleged survivors over the past 19 months.

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Do The Boy Scouts Have A History Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse

Yes. Hundreds of sex abuse cases have been brought against the Boy Scouts over the last several decades, and courts havefoundevidence of the organizations leadership attempting to cover up these complaints or firing the alleged assailants but not reporting the criminal acts to the police.

In 2010, an Oregon jury handed down a guilty verdict to the Boy Scouts in a sex abuse case. A court ordered that the organization pay $18.5 million to the victim and make public an internal list of men who had been accused of preying on boys, known within the Scouts as thePerversion Files. The Los Angeles Times the list in 2012. In the 2010s, so many claims of abuse were filed against the Boy Scouts that the organization began to collapse under the debt of all the money owed to boys and men whom variouscourts found had been wronged by the organization or settledout ofcourt.

Since then, tens of thousands of men have added their claims to the suit.

Several Thousand Men Say They Were Molested When

Nbc news reports that by filing for chapter 11 protection. The head of boy scouts america, roger mosby, says he believes bankruptcy will actually help victims. Victims who haven’t reported abuse need to do. The group has more than two million. The boy scouts of america has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after sexual abuse settlements have reportedly strained finances;

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