IMPORTANT: If you or a loved one was sexually abused by a BSA employee or volunteer, you must file a claim by Nov. 16, 2020. If you don’t file by Nov. 16, you may never be able to pursue compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve endured because the BSA will have no money left for such a claim. Fill out the form on this page today to make sure you don’t miss the claim filing deadline!

The Boy Scouts bankruptcy has forced thousands of alleged sexual abuse victims to send in claims by the deadline set by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

Even though many legal experts predicted more than 10,000 claims, the Boy Scouts of America could face up to 50,000 claims by the Nov. 16 deadline. Accusations leading to claims are pouring it at a fast pace.

Claims from victims ranging in current age from 8 years old to 90-something have been collected since the deadline was announced. No matter where the claimant lives or files, they must file their claim by the deadline because of the special circumstances surrounding the Boy Scouts bankruptcy.

Due to the overwhelming number of claims and the financial implications of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, virtually no funds are expected to be left for anyone to claim their share after the deadline. Even the claims that are received by the deadline will be subject to compensation that has not yet been determined because some of the insurance companies have informed the BSA that it was the BSA’s responsibility to make sure child predators did not have access to young Scouts, leading the insurance companies to refuse to pay for sexual abuse compensation.

According to InsuranceJournal.com, the BSA issued a statement that said the Nov. 16 deadline “sets a clear timeline for victims to come forward and later seek compensation from the BSA’s proposed compensation trust.”

The Boy Scouts of America have not said how much money would be placed within the compensation trust.

Boy Scouts Bankruptcy Shows Institutions Are Vulnerable

The Boy Scouts of America reported assets of more than $1 billion prior to filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February, but how many of those assets are still held by the BSA is uncertain.

On top of tens of thousands of sexual abuse victims making claims, the BSA is fighting a serious drop in membership, spurred in part by the Mormon Church’s decision to stop sponsoring BSA troops. And like all participative organizations, the BSA has taken a financial hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the cancelation of most all camping excursions that usually take place in the summer.

Just as many dioceses have filed bankruptcies due to lawsuits stemming from the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, the Boy Scouts of America also is being held accountable for abuse that goes back decades.

The BSA saw an increase in lawsuits filed when the Los Angeles Times published an investigative report in late 2012 that detailed nearly thousands of previously secret files regarding allegations that certain volunteers and employees had been let go due to sexual abuse allegations. The documents, known as the Perversion Files or the Ineligible Volunteer Files, covered many decades and included brief summaries of every sex abuse allegation.

Marci Hamilton is chief executive officer of CHILD USA, a nonprofit that fights to prevent child abuse. Hamilton spoke with USA Today regarding the Boy Scouts bankruptcy and the sexual abuse lawsuits.

“The goal of federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy is to be able to reorganize your assets to put a lid on any kind of future claims by people you currently owe. It was never intended for child sex abuse,” she told USA Today.

Hamilton said the message to victims is pretty clear. Either they must file claims as soon as possible or they take the very real chance of not ending up with any compensation at all. Even if a survivor of sexual abuse is not emotionally ready to bring forth charges, the ticking clock of the bankruptcy proceedings either hurries them along or leaves them out in the cold.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.