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The Boy Scouts of America announced it has reached an $850 million settlement with nearly 60,000 sexual abuse victims. The organization filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 after facing lawsuits from around 84,000 victims who detailed allegations of sexual abuse dating all the way back to the 1940s.
"This agreement ensures that we have the overwhelming support of survivors for the BSA's proposed Plan of Reorganization, which is a key step in the BSA's path toward emerging from bankruptcy. Bringing these groups together marks a significant milestone and is the biggest step forward to date as the BSA works toward our dual imperatives of equitably compensating survivors of abuse and preserving the mission of Scouting," the organization said in a statement.
As part of the deal, the Boy Scouts' local councils will contribute $600 million into a fund for the abuse victims. The Boy Scouts of America would contribute the remaining $250 million. The Boy Scouts will also have to enact protection measures for children, build a system to report sexual abuse, and create a Child Protection Committee.
Ken Rothweiler, an attorney who represents the largest group of claimants, praised the agreement, which is just the first step in a long process to get justice for the victims.
"I am pleased that both the BSA and their local councils have stepped up to be the first to compensate the survivors," Rothweiler said in a statement. "We will now negotiate with the insurers and sponsoring and chartering organizations who have billions of dollars in legal exposure, of which a substantial portion is necessary to fairly compensate the survivors."