Lawyers for men claiming they were sexually abused by Boy Scouts of America volunteers as children said they suspect some local councils of the youth organization are moving assets out of their reach, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. The suspicion surfaced in a filing Tuesday in the bankruptcy court where the national Boy Scouts group sought protection from lawsuits related to decades of alleged sexual assaults. The bankruptcy has stopped hundreds of lawsuits blaming the national organization for failing to root out sexual predators from its ranks. An injunction extended the pause on litigation to the Boy Scouts’ many local councils, which operate troops scattered across the country and hold the bulk of the organization’s wealth. The local councils aren’t themselves bankrupt but are key players in the proceedings. The land and other property they hold could help fund a settlement with victims, but the councils say they are legally separate from the Boy Scouts and don’t share the national organization’s liability.
