The judge overseeing the Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy on Wednesday offered her grim view of the status of the youth organization’s reorganization efforts, which have yet to lead to any support from former scouts who say they were sexually abused by Scouting leaders, Reuters reported. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein in Wilmington, Del., indicated during a virtual hearing that she is prepared to move quickly on the remainder of the Boy Scouts’ chapter 11 proceeding, which began in February 2020 in an attempt to resolve nearly 300 sex abuse lawsuits. But she also acknowledged the difficulty of proceeding with the organization's request to begin soliciting votes on its proposed reorganization plan, which includes a settlement of more than 80,000 sex abuse claims, when it has yet to bring in any support from abuse survivors. “I will say to solicit a plan that has no abuse survivor support is not an attractive option,” Silverstein said. “But neither is engaging in protracted litigation that has the potential to end the Boy Scouts as it currently exists.” The judge will likely announce her ruling on the motion to begin vote solicitation next week.
