The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the largest association of boy scouts in the United States, are on the verge of a settlement with around 84,000 people who have reported sexual abuse against the group, according to the Wall Street Journal, which heard from relatives of the group. the question.
Details are still being worked out, but involved in the negotiation said that BSA has already agreed to pay approximately US $ 250 million (R $ 1.25 billion) in cash, in addition to other assets which, together, total US $ 500. million (2.5 billion reais). For the deal to come to fruition, however, the deal must be approved by both the victims and the US justice system.
The possibility comes 16 months after BSA, a century-old and traditional entity in the country, filed for bankruptcy, a decision taken in the face of financial pressures and the rising costs of dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse.
The measure was based on Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy law, which gives companies a time frame to reorganize financially – similar to what is known in Brazil as judicial recovery.
Hundreds of victims have written to the judge overseeing the bankruptcy to describe the abuse suffered and how the BSA has handled the allegations over the past decades.
In early June, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her department and state police had opened an investigation into the Boy Scout Association’s allegations and were working to get the information that surfaced. during bankruptcy proceedings.
In November last year, when the court’s deadline for victims to formalize compensation claims expired, around 95,000 complaints were registered.
Charges have risen as several U.S. states have suspended or relaxed the statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes in recent years.
The business that exploded last year is also part of BSA’s past. In 2010, the organization was ordered to pay a fine of 18.5 million US dollars (R $ 100.4 million at the current rate) for covering up sexual abuse committed by one of its observers in the years 1980.