What Does Boy Scouts of America Filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Mean for Survivors? Attorney Josh Peck Explains

Video Transcript: I’m Josh Peck. I’m an attorney with Jeff Anderson & Associates. On February 18, 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. What that means for survivors is that any litigation, any lawsuits that are being handled in state courts get automatically moved over to the bankruptcy court. It does not mean that you cannot bring a claim. It does not mean that you can’t work with us to hold the Boy Scouts accountable and expose the information they kept secret for decades. In early 2019, a child sexual abuse expert testified at a trial that she was hired by the Boy Scouts of America to review a number of the files. In her testimony she identified nearly 8,000 offenders in the Boy Scout files and more than 12,000 victims who could be identified. That’s information the public didn’t know, that’s information that the public does not know. With statute of limitations across the country – New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Hawaii, and starting with Minnesota – the Boy Scouts were facing nearly 300 active lawsuits across the country to try to expose that information. The reason the Boy Scouts filed bankruptcy is a tactic, we believe, to continue to shield and protect information that they know about offenders in Scouting. We see this bankruptcy filing as a continued effort to keep that information secret and not expose the real threat and real harm facing kids in Boy Scouts today. The most important thing for survivors to know about the bankruptcy filing by the Boy Scouts of America is: You can still make a claim. You still have a voice. You can still fight with us to try to make all those perversion files public, get that information out there to protect kids, and get accountability for what was done to you. You can do that confidentially. You do not have to share your name. You do not have to be part of a state court lawsuit or go to court. And we’re here to help you every step of the way if and when you choose to come forward