US: Be prepared - Boy Scouts of America files for bankruptcy

The 110-year-old body lodged papers at a court in Delaware as it attempts to negotiate a compensation plan for abuse victims.

In what is one of the largest and most complex bankruptcies ever seen, scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of thousands of men who say they were molested by scoutmasters or other leaders as children.

Bankruptcy will allow the organisation to put the lawsuits on hold but they could ultimately mean it has to sell its property, including campsites and hiking trails to create a compensation fund that could be in excess of $1 billion (£770 million).

“Scouting programmes will continue throughout this process and for many years to come,” said Scouts spokesman Evan Roberts.

“Local councils are not filing for bankruptcy because they are legally separate and distinct organisations.”

“There are a lot of very angry, resentful men out there who will not allow the Boy Scouts to get away without saying what all their assets are,” said lawyer Paul Mones, who represents numerous clients suing the BSA. “They want no stone unturned.”

The Boy Scouts was founded in 1910 and has kept confidential files since the 1920s listing staff and volunteers accused of sexual abuse, for the purposes of keeping predators away from children.

Court files list 7,819 suspected abusers and 12,254 victims.