Boy Scouts Contemplates Bankruptcy As Legal Challenges Mount From Sexual Abuse Claims

PAYSON, UT - JULY 31: A Boy Scout listens to instruction at camp Maple Dell on July 31, 2015 outside Payson, Utah. The Mormon Church is considering pulling out of its 102 year old relationship with the Boy Scouts after the Boy Scouts changed it's policy on allowing gay leaders in the organization. Over 99% of the Boy Scout troops in Utah are sponsored by the Mormon Church. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

Seven years ago, the LA Times published an investigative piece revealing that 5000 men and women had been expelled from the Boy Scouts of America due to suspicion of sexual abuse -- but a follow up analysis has now revealed the problem to be even greater.

Seven years ago, the LA Times published an investigative piece revealing that 5000 men and women had been expelled from the Boy Scouts of America due to suspicion of sexual abuse -- but a follow up analysis has now revealed the problem to be even greater.

An expert hired by the Boy Scouts said she tallied 7,819 individuals in the “ineligible files” (a coded term used internally by the organization to label suspected predators) as of January, as well as 12,254 victims.

Sexual abuse settlements have already strained the Boy Scouts’ finances to the point where the organization is exploring “all available options,” including Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But now the financial threats have intensified. The reason: States have been moving in recent months to adjust their statute-of-limitations laws so that victims of long-ago sexual abuse can sue for damages.

A bankruptcy by the Boy Scouts could be unprecedented in its complexity, potentially involving plaintiffs in virtually every state.

With files from the Associated Press

Guest:

David Crary, reporter with The Associated Press, who’s been reporting on the Boy Scouts; he tweets

Tweets by CraryAP