Supreme Court Declines Boy Scouts Abuse Settlement Challenge

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal concerning the Boy Scouts of America's $2.46 billion sex abuse settlement. The decision upholds lower court rulings that protect organizations from further lawsuits and settle abuse claims with contributions made to the bankruptcy settlement.

The U.S. Supreme Court has chosen not to entertain a challenge against the Boy Scouts of America's substantial $2.46 billion settlement over sex abuse claims. The case involved a group of survivors wishing to file lawsuits against churches and other entities that organized the programs where the abuse took place.

This settlement, finalized in 2022 in Delaware's bankruptcy court, offers immunity to certain organizations in return for their contributions to the Boy Scouts' bankruptcy settlement. Despite the Supreme Court later ruling that such immunity should not extend retroactively, it refrained from applying this decision to the Boy Scouts' case, preserving the deal's structure.

The plaintiffs' appeal, rejected by a federal judge and subsequently upheld by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, argued that altering the agreement long after its establishment would negatively affect survivors and Scouting America. The Supreme Court's decision ensures the continuation of a financial and emotional lifeline for many who endured past abuses.

(With inputs from agencies.)