Unique sex-abuse suit filed against Boy Scouts in US capital

Source: AP

A team of lawyers filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to establish the nation’s capital as a venue for men across the U.S. to sue the Boy Scouts of America for allegedly failing to protect them from long-ago sexual abuse at the hands of scoutmasters and other leaders.

The eight plaintiffs in the potentially ground-breaking lawsuit, identified as John Does 1 through 8, live in states where statute of limitations laws would prevent them from suing the BSA based on claims of sex abuse that occurred decades ago.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers contend that federal court in Washington is an appropriate venue for such a lawsuit because the Boy Scouts were incorporated there in 1910 and obtained a congressional charter in 1916. Along with several states -- including New York, New Jersey and California -- the District of Columbia eased its statute of limitations in 2019 to accommodate claims like those in the new lawsuit.

The Boy Scouts, in an email to The Associated Press, said it cannot comment on pending litigation. It reiterated its previous apologies to “anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting.”



FILE - This Feb. 4, 2013 file photo shows a close up of a Boy Scout uniform badge during a news conference in front of the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas. A team of lawyers filed a lawsuit on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to establish the nation’s capital as a venue for men across the U.S. to sue the Boy Scouts of America for allegedly failing to protect them from long-ago sexual abuse at the hands of scoutmasters and other scout leaders. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)


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