Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy Tuesday in an effort to continue operating while handling claims of sexual abuse.
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy request was filed in Delaware, and CNN has noted that due to the filing, all civil suits will be suspended. Boy Scouts will still have to pay victims, but it will be able to avoid lengthy jury trials.
In a statement, Boy Scouts President and CEO Roger Mosby said: "The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children."
"While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process — with the proposed Trust structure — will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission."
Currently, Boy Scouts of America has about two million participants and one million adult volunteers. Most of the abuse cases date from the 1960s to the 1980s, and are only surfacing now due to changes in states' statutes of limitations.