New Laws Opening Windows for Sex Abuse Survivors Offers Hope for Former Boy Scouts
Since the Boy Scouts of America revealed their consideration of bankruptcy a little under a year ago, 40 states have since launched bills planning to expand their state’s civil statute of limitations on child sex abuse. With several of these laws being enacted or are scheduled to be enacted, experts anticipate hundreds of new lawsuits to be filed against the BSA before the end of the year.
Even with new windows of opportunities, attorneys must still navigate a challenging web of laws in order to reach justice for their clients. Stewart Eisenburg, one of the attorneys heading the national movement known as Abused in Scouting, plans to file lawsuits through the nation’s capitol to make Scouting survivors’ voices heard by the courts.
“Because the Boy Scouts were a congressionally established organization, there’s jurisdiction in the D.C. courts,” Eisenberg said. “The Boy Scouts received congressional funding every year, and they have to report to congress.
Eisenberg reported that Abused in Scouting plans to file hundreds of cases across the U.S. before the end of the year: at least 45 in New Jersey, 84 in New York, 169 in California, 82 in Pennsylvania, and around 300 to 400 cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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