A bankruptcy judge in Delaware on Thursday approved the Boy Scouts of America's $2.46 billion reorganization plan, opening the way for the youth organization to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and start compensating more than 80,000 men who say they were sexually abused by scout leaders. The approval of the plan by Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein still needs sign-off from a federal district judge, and some of the BSA's insurers have threatened to appeal the decision.
The national Boy Scouts of America organization filed for bankruptcy in 2020, saying the process would allow it to "equitably compensate victims who were harmed during their time in scouting" while continuing to carry out its scouting mission. The agreement it reached with tens of thousands of victims last year is the largest child sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The best new music of 2024 by genreThe Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
-
Nine best TV shows of 2024 to binge this ChristmasThe Week Recommends From Baby Reindeer and Slow Horses to Rivals and Shogun, here are the critics' favourites
-
Crossword: December 28, 2024The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
