Boy Scouts of America has proposed to pay $220 million in a trust that would compensate thousands of former members who say they suffered abuse while they were Scouts, USA Today reports.
- Local councils may provide an additional $300 million to the cause. But there’s no comment from the councils yet on whether that will happen, per USA Today.
- The Boy Scouts of America are reportedly worth $1 billion total, per USA Today.
- “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,” according to USA Today.
Details
- The organization said it will include all of its unrestricted cash and investments into the settlement, except for the $75 million needed to stay in operation, according to USA Today.
- The Boy Scouts said it will contribute all of its art collection — including a number of original Normal Rockwell paintings — too.
- However, the plan has been met with some skepticism. It’s unclear if it will work.
Context
Back in February 2020, Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection after developing a massive victim compensation plan due to the child abuse scandal, according to The Associated Press.
- “Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states’ statute-of-limitations laws,” according to The Associated Press.
- The BSA could put off the lawsuits due to the bankruptcy, per the AP. But they would eventually need “to sell off some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a compensation trust fund that could surpass $1 billion,” according to The Associated Press.
More on the paintings
There are about 65 Norman Rockwell Scouting paintings, which you can actually see in a museum in Ohio, according to Scouting Magazine. Norman Rockwell reportedly spent years painting Scouting moments.