Boy Scouts File for Bankruptcy After Lawsuits, Montgomery County Troops Unaffected

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for bankruptcy Tuesday in the midst of hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits from former scouts who say they were abused by leaders. 

This means that civil litigation is halted, and there will be no jury trial. Alleged victims with lawsuits now have to file in bankruptcy court. The Chapter 11 claim was made by the national boy scouts organization and does not involve local scout councils. 

In Montgomery County, the local council is the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) in Bethesda. It serves Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Aaron Chusid, chief communications officer for the NCAC, said that the bankruptcy does not affect troops in Montgomery County at all, or throughout the NCAC. He said that programs operate on a local level and will run as planned. 

Local units are self-funded and do not get funding from the national BSA organization. Chusid said they make money from programs like camps and product sales like popcorn, as well as charitable giving and endowments.  

Chusid noted that membership grew last year. He said there are 95 boy scout troops in Montgomery County. 

The national organization of the BSA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to equitably compensate victims who were harmed during their time in Scouting and ensure Scouting’s future. Scouting continues and local councils have not filed for bankruptcy. https://t.co/sj4TRXkzp1.

— Boy Scouts – BSA (@boyscouts) February 18, 2020

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

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