House Bill 605, the “Hidden Predator Act of 2018,” has broad bipartisan support. Introduced by Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, it passed the Georgia House by a vote of 170-0.

But it’s not a sure bet that it will come up for a vote at all in the Senate, said Rep. Spencer Frye, D-Athens, one of the sponsors of the bill.

Georgia law allows victims of childhood abuse to sue up to the age of 23, but the Hidden Predator Act would extend that age to 38 for abuse occurring after July 1, 2018.

For one year beginning July 1, 2018, it would also give older victims whose abuse occurred before that date — like the plaintiffs in the Athens lawsuit — a chance to file suits.

Studies show that many victims aren’t able to confront what happened to them for many years, said Frye, explaining the provision that would increase the window when victims could sue to age 38.

“We need to do that to get justice for the victims,” he said. “I can’t even understand the concept of not wanting to be accountable for these predatory actions against children. If we as a society can’t protect our children, what good are we?”

The bill also would allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue organizations who concealed or protected abusers, as the lawsuit against the Scouts and churches alleges happened.

Lawyers for the defendants include Steven Heath of Cowsert/Heath, the law firm of state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, who is vice chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Lobbyists for the Scouts and for the Catholic Church have worked to defeat or water down the bill, Frye explained. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce and insurance companies are also against it, while the Georgia Baptist Mission Board is on record as supporting the bill.

According to a statement released by Archbishop Wilson Gregory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, the bill is “extraordinarily unfair” and could “drastically damage our ability to carry out the mission of our Catholic Church in the state of Georgia.”

https://theglobalbeacon.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/georgia-victims-of-church-cover-up-of-child-sex-abuse-by-scout-leader-to-pursue-new-law-suits-despite-case-dismissal/

WILMINGTON, Del. (Legal Newsline) - The judge overseeing the bankruptcy of the Boy Scouts of America has expressed increasing skepticism about tens of thousands of sexual abuse claims filed before a critical deadline last year that insurers who are picking up most of the $1.9 billion restructuring tab say are riddled with robosigned and potentially fraudulent allegations.

In hearings this week over the Boy Scouts bankruptcy as well as the bankruptcy of a company that supplied talc to Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein in Delaware confronted a growing problem in cases that combine mass torts with bankruptcy reorganization. Plaintiff lawyers, many of whom have made a specialty of suing over asbestos, flood the court with claims they obtained from marketing firms known as aggregators, hoping to use the voting process embedded in bankruptcy rules to gain control of the reorganization and steer money to their clients – and themselves, in the form of fees.

Earlier this month, Judge Silverstein ordered a probe into handful of aggregators who used an extensive advertising campaign costing tens of millions of dollars to recruit the bulk of some 80,000 abuse claims plaintiff lawyers filed against the Boy Scouts last year. Insurers served subpoenas on aggregators Verus Claims Services, Consumer Attorney Marketing Group and Stratos Legal, as well as claims administrator Archer Systems. Those subpoenas order the firms to hand over documents detailing the claim forms they submitted to the bankruptcy administrator, their contacts with law firms, financial arrangements and procedures for recruiting clients and vetting their claims. 

Insurers led by Century Indemnity and The Hartford have pressed Judge Silverstein for months to dig into allegations plaintiff a group of lawyers calling themselves Abused in Scouting or the Coalition submitted thousands of questionable claims, sometimes signing hundreds of forms a day with little to no substantiating documentation. Those allegations gained support last month when Timothy Kosnoff, one of the founders of the Coalition, acknowledged in a letter to the judge that an unnamed law firm had placed his electronic signature on “dozens” of claim forms without his knowledge or permission.

“We now know there are proofs of claim tainted by fraud, though we do not know how many,” Century said in a letter urging the court to authorize more investigation. “Thousands of claims have come in that will, without any scrutiny at all, control the vote in this case and be eligible to receive payment” under the terms of the bankruptcy reorganization.

In hearings this week, the insurers joined with some plaintiff lawyers in asking for a delay in approving the disclosure statement accompanying the Boy Scouts reorganization plan until they receive the responses to those subpoenas. Among other things, the insurers want to uncover any financial arrangements between marketing firms and lawyers, including agreements to share fee income, and to examine their processes for evaluating claims.

The marketing firms are some of the nation’s most prolific recruiters of plaintiffs for mass-tort litigation over products including Roundup, 3M earplugs, JUUL e-cigarettes and Zantac. Law firms often pay them thousands of dollars for the names of potential clients, which they use as leverage in settlement negotiations. The judge overseeing 3M earplug litigation issued a similar order in March against a client-recruiting firm called Top Class Actions. 

Earlier this year, the insurers asked the judge to perform a random sampling of claims to determine whether a significant number were fraudulent. The judge never ruled on that request, but on Sept. 9 she ordered the marketing firms to file responses to the subpoenas by Sept. 29. In an odd coincidence, Judge Silverstein confronted similar allegations of questionable claims in the bankruptcy of Imerys, a talc supplier that filed for reorganization after being hit with thousands of lawsuits accusing it of selling asbestos-tainted talc.

In a hearing Monday, the judge heard testimony from Thomas Bevan, an asbestos lawyer who submitted votes on behalf of more than 15,000 plaintiffs he said had claims against Imerys. In hours of withering questioning, Bevan admitted he dumped nearly his entire client list into the bankruptcy proceedings, including plaintiffs who had died long ago and suffered from illnesses that would not be compensated under the Imerys plan. Judge Silverstein said little during the proceedings but observed in great detail how plaintiff lawyers can flood a bankruptcy with poorly documented claims and wrest control from other creditors. 

The judge will have to decide eventually in the Boy Scouts case how many of the 95,000 or so abuse claims represent legitimate votes to approve or reject reorganization plans, although bankruptcy courts are ill-equipped to perform deep forensic analysis into such a large group of claims. 

After presenting a uniform front for months in the Boy Scouts reorganization, the lawyers in the Coalition appear to have fallen out among themselves. In his Aug. 9 statement to the court, Kosnoff described how he retired from the law, bought a boat and sailed to Puerto Rico, only to “un-retire from the practice of law” so he could pursue Boy Scouts abuse claims.

Kosnoff said he joined forces with Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Stewart Eisenberg and Andrew Van Arsdale, a lawyer who is also part-owner of Reciprocity, a client-recruitment firm. (In a filing earlier this year, Century cited an affidavit by a former Reciprocity employee who said she and her co-workers processed tens of thousands of claims and were offered bonuses for recruiting claimants. Van Arsdale dismissed her claims as “completely unbelievable.”)

“The three firms worked closely together crafting the first television advertisement, which aired in February or March 2019,” Kosnoff wrote, and eventually recruited some 80,000 clients, dwarfing the 2,000 or so claims the Boy Scouts estimated at the outset of bankruptcy. 

Kosnoff said he fell out with his colleagues after they endorsed a settlement plan that will pay claimants different amounts based upon the laws in their state – some states have strict statutes of limitation on abuse claims, others not – and available insurance. He still represents more than 15,000 claimants. 

Boy Scouts of America is proposing to pay roughly $220 million toward a trust to compensate tens of thousands of former members who say they were abused as scouts, according to a statement from the committee that represents survivors in the case.

Another $300 million may come from a voluntary contribution from local councils, the Boy Scouts said in court documents filed Monday, but the local organizations have given no formal commitment.

The number is a fraction of the $1 billion of the organization's estimated value, and a sliver of the value of its subsidiaries, including local councils as well as various trusts and endowments, which USA TODAY estimates could exceed $3.7 billion.  

The proposal is part of a reorganization plan put forth by the nonprofit detailing how it intends to handle the massive child sex abuse case that’s threatening its existence – the largest ever involving a single national organization – and emerge as a viable entity. 

It comes a little more than a year after Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in federal court in Delaware. At the time, the organization said it faced 275 lawsuits in state and federal courts plus another 1,400 potential claims. Nearly 95,000 claims were filed by the November deadline set by the bankruptcy judge. 

The proposed settlement would amount to about $6,000 per claimant, even after the total number of claims is reduced after duplicates are deleted and other reviews. That number assumes an even distribution among survivors and does not reflect issues related to statutes of limitations or specific acts of abuse.

Boy Scouts says it will put forth all unrestricted cash and investments above the $75 million it says it needs to continue operations. It also will contribute its art collection, which includes original Norman Rockwell pieces and two paintings by Walt Disney, as well as two facilities in Texas and its oil and gas interests, consisting of more than 1,000 properties in 17 states. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/03/01/boy-scouts-bankruptcy-reorganization-plan-woefully-inadequate/6872981002/

The role of local Boy Scout councils in the national organization’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the sexual abuse crisis that propelled it, is a flashpoint in a slew of new lawsuits on behalf of men who say they were abused as scouts. 

The latest case, filed in Montana on Tuesday by attorneys with Abused in Scouting, includes 10 men who say they were abused by scout leaders. In it, 10 John Does claim that the Montana Scout council is controlled by Boy Scouts of America to such a degree that it is “the alter ego of the BSA.”  

The same group filed another suit last month on behalf of eight men in Hawaii. Attorneys with the firm Crew Janci also filed five suits last week in Montana for six clients. Gillon Dumas of Dumas & Vaughn of Oregon filed another four in the last month. Another Seattle-based firm filed three more.  

The lawsuits come nearly four months after Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy reorganization, anticipated for months as a way to limit liability in the abuse cases by carving off assets of the more than 260 local scout councils.

While the approach mirrors that of the Catholic Church, many plaintiffs’ attorneys and advocates believe it is unprecedented for a nonprofit youth organization.  

In documents filed in February, and subsequent statements, Boy Scouts of America has argued that the national organization should be the only entity required to cover financial settlements in the sexual abuse cases that landed the organization in a state of near financial collapse.  

More:Boy Scouts files Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of thousands of child abuse allegations

More:Boy Scouts says it's safe, and offers sex abuse victims just 80 days to file claim. Victims balk.

The national organization describes its relationship with local councils as essentially a franchise arrangement: The national group handles the development of Scout content and structure, licensing, training, human resources, legal support and information technology; the local councils are separate legal entities.  

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/05/06/boy-scouts-bankruptcy-lawsuits-hit-local-councils/5175146002/

An Elegy for the Boy Scouts

 The creepers working the boys in the Boy Scouts are responsible for the death of their organization.  Silence was not golden! 

 The news over the past few years has offered little to cheer about, but a recent story reporting an unprecedented 43 percent decline in membership in the Boy Scouts of America from 2019 to 2020—from 1.97 million Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to 1.12 million—was especially dispiriting. To make matters worse, the Associated Press reports that BSA membership has fallen even further since 2020—to about 762,000. For purposes of comparison, combined enrollment in the BSA—Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts—peaked in 1972 at 6.5 million members and as recently as 1998 was 4.8 million. These numbers are shockingly grim. The once-robust BSA is on life support, with a seemingly fatal malady. 

  An Elegy for the Boy Scouts – Mark Pulliam (lawliberty.org)  

DOVER, Del. — A Delaware judge ruled Thursday that the Boy Scouts of America can enter into a pivotal $850 million agreement that the organization hopes to use as a springboard to emerging from bankruptcy later this year, but rejected two key provisions of the deal.

Following three days of testimony and arguments, the judge granted the BSA's request to enter into an agreement involving the national Boy Scouts organization, roughly 250 local Boy Scout councils, and attorneys representing some 70,000 men who say they were sexually abused as youngsters decades ago while engaged in Boy Scout-related activities. The agreement calls for the Boy Scouts and local councils to contribute $850 million into a fund for abuse claimants.

The agreement was opposed by insurers who issued policies to the Boy Scouts and local councils, attorneys representing thousands of other abuse victims, and various church denominations that have sponsored local Boy Scout troops.

It was not immediately clear how the judge's ruling will affect the future of the bankruptcy case, given that she rejected two significant provisions in the agreement.

While ruling that BSA officials exercised proper business judgment as required under the law in entering into the agreement, the judge refused to grant a request that the Boy Scouts be allowed to pay millions of dollars in legal fees and expenses of attorneys hired by law firms that represent tens of thousands of abuse claimants.

She also denied the BSA's request under the agreement for permission to withdraw from an April agreement in which insurance company The Hartford would pay $650 million into the fund for abuse claimants in exchange for being released from any further liability.

The Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 in an effort to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a huge compensation fund for thousands of men who were molested as youngsters by scoutmasters or other leaders. Although the organization was facing 275 lawsuits at the time of the filing, it is now facing some 82,500 sexual abuse claims in the bankruptcy case.

Under the agreement, the Boy Scouts would contribute up to $250 million in cash and property to a fund for victims of child sexual abuse. The local councils, which run day-to-day operations for Boy Scout troops, would contribute $600 million. In addition, the national organization and local councils would transfer their rights to Boy Scout insurance policies to the victims fund. In return, they would be released from future liability for abuse claims.

Opponents of the deal argued that BSA officials failed to fully inform themselves or exercise proper business judgment in entering into the agreement. They noted that the Boy Scouts board of directors never adopted a resolution approving the agreement, and that decision-making authority was delegated to an executive committee and a handful of people on a bankruptcy task force.

The judge rejected two controversial provisions in the agreement that opponents had highlighted.

One allows the Boy Scouts to back out of a settlement they reached in April with one of their insurers, The Hartford. The Hartford agreed to pay $650 million into the victims fund in exchange for being released from any further obligations. The Boy Scouts sought to withdraw from the agreement after attorneys for abuse claimants, who estimate the liability exposure of BSA insurers in the billions of dollars, maintained that their clients would never support a plan that includes it.

The agreement also included a provision under which the Boy Scouts would pay millions of dollars in legal fees and expenses incurred by law firms representing an ad hoc group called the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice. Law firms affiliated with the coalition represent some 63,000 abuse claimants and were among the supporters of the agreement.

Despite the partial approval of the agreement, the Boy Scouts still face a host of objections to the disclosure statement.

Opposing lawyers argue it does not fully inform creditors and leaves too many unanswered questions regarding insurance issues and the treatment of local councils and sponsoring organizations. They also say the proposed voting procedures accompanying the disclosure statement improperly put abuse claimants with valid cases on the same footing with some 60,000 claims presumably barred because of statutes of limitations in various states. 

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029448274/boy-scouts-bankruptcy-judge-conditional-approval

Boy Scouts' Bankruptcy Creates Rift With Religious Partners

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid the Boy Scouts of America’s complex bankruptcy case, there is worsening friction between the BSA and the major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units. At issue: the churches’ fears that an eventual settlement — while protecting the BSA from future sex-abuse lawsuits — could leave many churches unprotected.

The Boy Scouts sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 in an effort to halt individual lawsuits and create a huge compensation fund for thousands of men who say they were molested as youngsters by scoutmasters or other leaders. At the time, the national organization estimated it might face 5,000 cases; it now faces 82,500.

In July, the BSA proposed an $850 million deal that would bar further lawsuits against it and its local councils. The deal did not cover the more than 40,000 organizations that have charters with the BSA to sponsor scout units, including many churches from major religious denominations that are now questioning their future involvement in scouting.

The United Methodist Church — which says up to 5,000 of its U.S. congregations could be affected by future lawsuits — recently advised those churches not to extend their charters with the BSA beyond the end of this year. The UMC said these congregations were “disappointed and very concerned” that they weren’t included in the July deal.

Everett Cygal, a lawyer for Catholic churches monitoring the case, said it is unfair that parishes now face liability “solely as a result of misconduct by Boy Scout troop leaders who frequently had no connection to the parish.”

“Scouting can only be delivered with help of their chartered organizations,” Cygal told The Associated Press. “It’s shortsighted not to be protecting the people they absolutely need to ensure that scouting is viable in the future.”

  BSA councils to contribute varying amounts to abuse fund

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Boy Scouts of America councils are expected to contribute to a national settlement trust to resolve claims of child sex abuse with contributions from bodies with West Virginia members ranging from less than $190,000 to nearly $6 million.

The Boy Scouts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020 as the Irving, Texas-based organization faced multiple lawsuits involving people who say they were sexually abused while in the program. Part of the proposed restructuring plan involves payments addressing more than 82,000 claims.

More than 1,000 unique abuse claims have been filed against eight councils with West Virginia units.

“One case of abuse is too many,” Jeffrey Purdy, scout executive of the Buckskin Council, said during an interview with MetroNews. “It’s unfortunate that over the years, people have used the Scouting program to hurt kids. It’s unfortunate and unforgivable.”

Under the proposal, the Boy Scouts and councils would contribute up to $820 million to a victims’ compensation fund; the 251 local councils would put forward $500 million in contributions. In return, the national organization and local chapters would receive legal protection from people who filed claims.

The Hartford, one of the Boy Scouts’ insurers, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have agreed to pay $787 million and $250 million respectively. They would also receive liability protection.

Local councils are legally independent and separate from the national organization and rely on fundraising to operate. Councils own camps, offices and other properties, and hire staff to maintain services, manage funds and recruit organizations to sponsor units. The BSA provides corporate resources and administrative help to councils in addition to guidelines related to program structure.

Councils previously had to purchase insurance policies covering issues including sexual abuse. The Boy Scouts in 1971 began adding councils to its liability insurance policies and agreed in 1978 to procure general liability insurance coverage for all chapters.

The local councils’ contributions will consist of cash and property. According to the Boy Scouts, the amounts were determined after reviewing claims with consideration to what councils could offer while continuing to provide Scouting.

“This is a critical component of the overall plan to emerge from the BSA’s financial restructuring,” the organization said in an email.

“Each Local Council was given discretion to allocate their contribution between cash and property,” the BSA added. “No Local Council is required to sell property and, indeed, many are not. Because Scouting is delivered on a local basis, we believe that it is critical to empower each Local Council to make their contribution in the form they chose.” 

According to court documents, $408.4 million of council contributions will be cash.

A federal bankruptcy judge in Delaware has received information related to the expectations for each council:

SHENANDOAH AREA COUNCIL

The Shenandoah Area Council is headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, and has units in six Virginia counties and Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia. 

Twenty-eight claims were filed against the council. The body’s contribution to the compensation fund would be $188,673 in cash.

Shenandoah Area Council Scout Executive Robert Garrett told MetroNews the council is planning to accept donations that the body would dedicate toward the settlement.

“We have some very generous folks that are helping us through the process and are making contributions so it does not affect our current scouts, our future scouts or our program,” he said. “We are looking at several options to fund that will allow us to continue our mission utilizing these volunteers.”

VIRGINIA HEADWATERS COUNCIL

The Virginia Headwaters Council, which operates from Waynesboro, Virginia, has units in western Virginia and West Virginia’s Pendleton County. It was known as the Stonewall Jackson Area Council until November 2019 when the council board approved a name change.

Court documents note 39 unique claims against the council. The council is expected to contribute $287,066 in cash.

MOUNTAINEER AREA COUNCIL

The Mountaineer Area Council has units in 12 counties in northcentral West Virginia and is headquartered in Fairmont. The council faces 41 individual abuse claims.

The expectation for the council is to contribute $527,717, of which $416,717 will be in cash.

According to court documents, the Mountaineer Area Council owns a service center valued at $111,000. The council can sell the property with proceeds going toward the settlement trust.

Council staff directed questions about the settlement to the national organization.

MUSKINGUM VALLEY COUNCIL

Much of the membership of the Muskingum Valley Council, which has central offices in Zanesville, Ohio, consists of counties in eastern and southeastern Ohio. Pleasants County is the only West Virginia county with units in the chapter. 

The council faces 47 unique claims, and its listed contribution is $513,391 in cash.

OHIO RIVER VALLEY COUNCIL

The Ohio River Valley Council includes Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, and Tyler counties and some Ohio counties. The council’s main office is in Wheeling.

The council faces 55 unique abuse claims. Its expected contribution is $835,582 in cash and a $60,000 property contribution.

According to Ohio River Valley Council Scout Executive Dan Bettison, the cash contribution will come from money collected from selling unused property. The property contribution will be similar regarding land currently owned by the council. 

BUCKSKIN COUNCIL

The Buckskin Council is headquartered in Charleston and consists of 40 counties in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. The council has grown following several mergers with councils throughout the region.  

The chapter has received attention for being home to the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Fayette County. The site has hosted two National Scout Jamborees and a World Scout Jamboree since opening in 2013.

Court documents show 284 claims and two pending lawsuits against the council.

Purdy, who has served as the area’s scout executive since 2008, said local leaders have agreed to participate in the settlement; the council will contribute $1,890,783 in cash. He added the money will most likely come from a “land fund.”

“Because we merged with several number of councils over the last number of years plus with the building of the national property — the Summit right next to Beckley — we’ve had excess property that we’ve sold,” he explained. “It had been the hope of the board of the Buckskin Council to take the sales of those properties and invest them into an endowment-like fund that would create annual income for the council and perpetuity.”

Purdy expressed disappointment in not being able to use the funds for the original intent but noted the approach would not affect current operations.

“The good news is that what that means is we’re not going to be using any types of donations or funds that we’ve received in the last 50 years for this contribution for the victim’s fund,” he said. 

BUCKEYE COUNCIL

The Buckeye Council is headquartered in Canton, Ohio, and has units located in central Ohio and West Virginia’s Hancock County. 

The council faces 179 unique abuse claims with two lawsuits pending. It is expected to pay $2,614,529; the chapter’s contribution includes $1,945,529 in cash and $669,000 as a property contribution.

LAUREL HIGHLANDS COUNCIL

Most of the Laurel Highlands Council’s units are located in Pennsylvania, but there are groups in Maryland as well as Grant, Hardy, Hampshire, and Mineral counties in West Virginia. The council operates out of Pittsburgh.

Court documents show 383 claims against the council. 

The council’s contribution expectation is $5,972,147. In a statement, the council said the money will come from an unrestricted endowment fund.

“It is important to note that restricted donations can only be used for their designated purposes and are legally protected so that they are used as the donor specified,” the body said.

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA ASSETS

The Boy Scouts will fund its portion of the settlement trust by offering a collection of artwork by Norman Rockwell and other artists, a warehouse facility in North Carolina, oil and gas interests in several states, a 10,000 square-foot building in Texas, and unrestricted cash.

The national organization is not the owner of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. Bankruptcy filings show Arrow WV Inc., a nonprofit corporation, owns the property and leases the site to the Boy Scouts for “nominal consideration.” The national organization funded the facility’s construction and currently provides operational services.

ABUSE CLAIM PAYMENTS

Alleged victims had to submit a claim by Nov. 16, 2020 to receive a payment from the bankruptcy plan. According to court documents, 82,200 unique claims were filed.

Consultants for the Boy Scouts estimate the value of the abuse claims ranges between $2.4 billion and $7.1 billion.

Under the proposal, claimants can receive a minimum of $3,500 under expedited distribution. People who do not take this option can submit their abuse claim for an evaluation with the possibility of receiving a payment worth as much as $2.7 million.

Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein on Thursday approved a disclosure statement on the Boy Scouts’ reorganization plan. The BSA will use the first weeks of October to send claimants information packages explaining the reorganization strategy and urging support.

Claimants must submit their ballots by Dec. 14. A confirmation hearing on the results is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2022.

BSA: SCOUTING IS SAFE

When asked if Scouting is a safe program, the Boy Scouts pointed out its policies and programs targeting sexual abuse. All volunteers and employees are required to complete youth protection training and undergo what the BSA describes as “a thorough screening process.” Two adults must also be present at youth activities, and one-on-one situations between adults and scouts are banned.

The organization also noted information filed in the restructuring case showing most claims cite alleged incidents that happened before 1990.

“In other words, a very substantial majority of these claims predate the introduction of the BSA’s modern Youth Protection Protocols,” the Boy Scouts told MetroNews. “While any instance of abuse is one too many, Scouting today is safer than ever before.”

Purdy also touted the national organization’s policies, saying the rules have created a safer environment for children.

“We have refined the protocols over the years to make our Scouting program safe,” he said. “The unfortunate thing is the vast majority of these claims came before youth protection training programs and protocols were known and put into place. 

“It’s unfortunate, and we want to do our part for those victims. We also know that we have a very safe program for scouts.”

Ahead of its bankruptcy filing, the Boy Scouts entered a five-year partnership with 1in6, a national nonprofit that provides male survivors of sexual assault with various resources. The BSA said the relationship would allow 1in6 to expand its online helpline and offer more weekly support groups to people abused while in the program.

 BSA councils to contribute varying amounts to abuse fund - WV MetroNews