Claimants Committee Ensures a Step Forward in Institutional Child Protection
(Saint Paul, MN) – In advance of a February 22 hearing, the Tort Claimants Committee (TCC) for Boy Scouts of America (BSA) encourages BSA survivors to support the revised $2.7 billion bankruptcy settlement plan. During negation, the TCC implemented positive modifications to the plan, accomplishing its three primary goals: (1) enhanced child protection procedures; (2) independent governance of the Settlement Trust that will administer assets for the benefit of all Survivors, and (3) a path to increased compensation for Survivors.
“Survivors and the Tort Claimants Committee deserve praise for their courage in coming forward and their tenacity to stand up for truth and safety for kids in participating in Boy Scouts of America,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “For survivors, this bankruptcy process has been grueling and will continue to be. But the survivors have shined a bright light and a beacon of truth on who the Boy Scouts of America have been and who they will be in the future.”
On February 17, 2020, the Boy Scouts of America announced its filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Initially, after over a year of negotiation, Boy Scouts of America and its attorneys set forth a partial settlement of $850 million to compensate the tens of thousands of survivors of sexual abuse who came forward with their stories. The (TCC) strenuously disagreed with this plan and the vote that took place among survivors was a rejection of the BSA’s proposal. After the rejection of the BSA plan, through strenuous negotiation and determination, the official committee and other survivor groups reached the revised compensation plan and child protection procedures.
“This was a struggle for all Boy Scouts of America Survivors. The Tort Claimants Committee worked on this new plan tirelessly and the survivors donated thousands of hours in the pursuit of accountability,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “This revised plan will make children in America safer. This is a testament to the powers of truth and courage survivors have shown in this process and will change the child protection movement, and institutional behavior.”