More than 81,000 people have made sex-abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America with a Monday deadline looming.
The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in February, following an onslaught of hundreds of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse within the 110-year-old organization. With a Chapter 11 petition, the group sought to reorganize and set up a victims’ compensation fund.
As of Sunday, around 81,500 alleged victims had come forward with claims ahead of a Monday deadline set in bankruptcy court in Delaware, according to the New York Times.
All the claims received by the deadline will go through a vetting process.
“I knew there were a lot of cases,” said Paul Mones, a lawyer who has worked on Boy Scout cases for almost 20 years. “I never contemplated it would be a number close to this.”
In a statement, the BSA said it was “devastated by the number of lives impacted by past abuse in Scouting.”
“The response we have seen from survivors has been gut wrenching,” the organization added. “We are deeply sorry.”
The bankruptcy proceedings has allowed for victims of all ages to file claims, depending on their state’s statute of limitations.
