XPost: misc.survivalism, talk.politics.guns, alt.culture.alaska   
   XPost: alt.survival   
   From: queers.not.welcome@latimes.com   
      
   The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy protection.   
      
   Facing mounting legal costs from defending itself against   
   lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of boys, the venerable nonprofit   
   sought Chapter 11 protection in a court filing early Tuesday.   
      
   A spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement   
   that the filing had "two key objectives: equitably compensate   
   victims who were harmed during their time in Scouting and   
   continue carrying out its mission for years to come. The BSA   
   intends to use the Chapter 11 process to create a Victims   
   Compensation Trust that would provide equitable compensation to   
   victims."   
      
   The Boy Scouts said that only the national organization had   
   filed for Chapter 11 and that local councils that provide   
   programming and other services are financially independent.   
      
   "The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely   
   apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in   
   Scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when   
   individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent   
   children," Roger Mosby, BSA's president and chief executive   
   officer, said in a statement Tuesday.   
      
   "While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims   
   suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process — with the proposed   
   Trust structure — will provide equitable compensation to all   
   victims while maintaining the BSA's important mission," he said.   
      
   Michael Pfau, whose Seattle-based law firm, Pfau, Cochran,   
   Veretis and Amala, represents close to 300 people who say they   
   were abused as Scouts in 30-plus states, called the filing   
   historic.   
      
   "It will be far larger in terms of the numbers of victims and   
   far more complicated than any of the bankruptcies we've seen so   
   far involving the Catholic Church," Pfau said.   
      
   Those bankruptcies involved individual dioceses or archdioceses,   
   Pfau said, while "this involves victims from all 50 states and   
   several U.S. territories."   
      
   "You're looking at thousands of abuse survivors making claims,"   
   he said. "This is much bigger than the bankruptcy filings   
   involving the Catholic Church."   
      
   In December 2018, the BSA telegraphed that it might seek this   
   remedy when it hired the law firm Sidley Austin LLP and   
   announced that it was "working with experts to explore all   
   options available to ensure that the local and national   
   programming of the Boy Scouts of America continues   
   uninterrupted."   
      
   Now that the Texas-based organization has filed for bankruptcy   
   protection, the U.S. Trustees Office will pick a creditors   
   committee that will include a number of abuse victims, Pfau   
   said. The committee, in turn, will hire a bankruptcy law firm   
   that will represent the interests of creditors in negotiations   
   with the BSA.   
      
   The various abuse cases against the BSA that have been filed in   
   state courts will be halted and transferred to federal   
   bankruptcy court for adjudication, Pfau said.   
      
   For the abuse victims, the BSA's bankruptcy filing has pros and   
   cons, Pfau said.   
      
   "The pro is that is a far shorter process than going through a   
   trial and the appeals process in state court," he said. "The   
   bankruptcy procedure will probably take anywhere from 18 months   
   to two years from start to finish.   
      
   "But the cons are significant," Pfau added. "Each individual   
   loses his opportunity for a jury trial in state court, which is   
   really the most powerful weapon an abuse victim has. One of the   
   primary reasons the BSA filed for bankruptcy is to avoid jury   
   trials."   
      
   Why?   
      
   "Juries don't like fact patterns where children are abused by   
   trusted leaders," Pfau said. "An entity like the Boy Scouts has   
   to consider their exposure."   
      
   Like the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts "have a horrible,   
   sordid history of child abuse in the ranks," Pfau said. "They   
   fought very, very aggressively to keep the extent of the abuse   
   from the public. Now they're facing a wave of legislative reform   
   that is sweeping across the country, with states revising their   
   statutes of limitations to allow victims to sue."   
      
   So for the BSA, seeking bankruptcy protection is really the only   
   option if it hopes to survive.   
      
   "It's a real day of reckoning for the Boy Scouts," Pfau said.   
      
   The organization said Tuesday that Scouting is safer than it's   
   ever been, saying "approximately 90% of pending and asserted   
   abuse claims against the BSA relate to abuse that occurred more   
   than 30 years ago."   
      
   Founded in 1910 and long considered a bastion of traditional   
   values, the BSA reported in 2016 that it has more than 1.26   
   million Cub Scouts, nearly 830,000 Boy Scouts and about 960,000   
   adult volunteers.   
      
   It was destroyed by less than 1,000 homosexual pedophiles.   
      
   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boy-scouts-america-hobbled-   
   multiple-sex-abuse-lawsuits-declares-bankruptcy-n1125026   
       
      
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