Boy Scouts of America Lawsuit: Where the Abuse Claims Stand in 2026
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The Boy Scouts of America lawsuit is no longer a lawsuit in the usual sense. In 2020 the organization — now called Scouting America — took more than 82,000 sexual abuse claims into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and a court-created trust now pays them. As of October 2026 the plan is final and over $1.2 billion has been paid, but survivors are receiving 4.7% of the value assigned to their claims. The deadline to file in the bankruptcy closed on November 16, 2020.
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Why People Are Searching for This Now
Two things put the case back in the news in September 2026. First, reporting on how little survivors actually receive: a Tampa Bay 28 report of September 16, 2026 described a survivor whose abuse was valued at $1.6 million under the trust’s point system and who had received about $40,000. According to that report, survivors are receiving 4.7% of the value assigned to their claim, because the fund holds roughly $2.4–$2.5 billion against claims that, per a separate August 2026 NJ Today report, would total more than $7 billion if paid in full.
Second, a fight over money still held back. Units of Chubb and other insurers escrowed $1.466 billion while appeals ran; the principal was released in 2026, but the trustee says the insurers refused to release $211 million in accrued interest. On September 3, 2026 a Delaware bankruptcy judge sent the trust and the insurers into mediation over it, according to Law360.
The underlying claims allege that adult leaders and volunteers sexually abused children in Scouting over decades and that the organization failed to protect them. Before the bankruptcy, the Third Circuit noted, BSA resolved about 250 abuse claims for approximately $150 million between 2017 and 2019.
Case Details
The case is In re Boy Scouts of America and Delaware BSA, LLC, No. 20-10343 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, filed February 18, 2020. Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein entered the order confirming the reorganization plan on September 8, 2022; District Judge Richard G. Andrews affirmed it, and the plan took effect in April 2023. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in No. 23-1664, dismissed the appeals of two groups of survivors on May 13, 2025. The Supreme Court denied review in Lujan Claimants v. Boy Scouts of America, No. 25-490, on January 12, 2026 (Supreme Court docket). Claims are paid by the independent Scouting Settlement Trust.
Status: Plan Final, Trust Paying in Installments
Payments are percentages of each allowed claim value. Per Harm Report, a second distribution began on March 3, 2026, adding 3.2% for survivors who had received an initial 1.5% — 4.7% combined. More may follow only if the trust recovers more money, which is why the insurer litigation and the $211 million interest dispute matter to every claimant. We could not read the trust’s own statistics page directly (it is a JavaScript application), so these figures are attributed to their sources.
Separately, new individual lawsuits over alleged abuse in Scouting continue to be filed for incidents outside the bankruptcy. Those are single-plaintiff cases, not part of the trust.
Who Can Get Money From the Trust
Survivors who filed a proof of claim by November 16, 2020. The Third Circuit counted 82,209 unique and timely abuse claims. If you filed, your lawyer or the trust’s claimant portal is where your determination and payments are tracked — not a news article or a website like this one.
If you did not file by that date, you cannot join the main claims pool now. The plan also released BSA, the approximately 250 local councils and many chartered organizations from Scouting abuse suits and channeled those claims to the trust. Narrower routes may exist depending on your state’s law; our Rhode Island Boy Scouts claims page explains the trust’s Other Protected Party path in detail, and our state deadlines guide covers time limits. The plan does not release the individual abuser.
What Survivors Are Actually Receiving
As of September 2026, reporting puts payouts at 4.7% of each allowed claim value: on a claim valued at $1.6 million, about $40,000 received so far and about $75,000 expected in total, per Tampa Bay 28. Any further increase depends on recoveries from non-settling insurers, which nobody can time or size. For where cumulative payouts stand, see our Boy Scouts trust payout tracker.
Boy Scouts of America Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
February 18, 2020 — Bankruptcy Filing
BSA files Chapter 11 in Delaware (No. 20-10343). The court sets November 16, 2020 as the bar date; 82,209 unique, timely abuse claims are filed.
- 2
September 8, 2022 — Plan Confirmed
The bankruptcy court enters the confirmation order creating the Scouting Settlement Trust, funded largely by insurers buying back BSA’s policies.
- 3
April 2023 — Trust Takes Over
The plan takes effect after the district court affirms it. The insurers’ $1.4661 billion stays in escrow while appeals continue.
- 4
May 13, 2025 — Third Circuit Leaves Plan in Place
The appeals court dismisses the survivor groups’ appeals (No. 23-1664), which challenged the releases of local councils and others.
- 5
January 12, 2026 — Supreme Court Declines Review
The petition in No. 25-490 is denied. The plan is finalized on February 11, 2026 and about $1.65 billion leaves escrow for the trust.
- 6
September 2026 — Low Payouts, $211M Mediation
Over $1.2 billion has been paid, at 4.7% of claim values. On September 3, 2026 the court sends the $211 million interest dispute with insurers to mediation.
Three Things to Watch For
A closed claims pool with large sums moving slowly attracts people selling shortcuts:
“Sign up for the Boy Scouts settlement” ads
The bankruptcy bar date was November 16, 2020. An ad or call promising to put you into the $2.46 billion fund today is describing a door that closed years ago. Any remaining route depends on state law and needs a lawyer’s individual review, not a sign-up form.
Cash now against your trust award
With payments coming in small percentages over years, survivors get offers to sell or borrow against a future award. Read the cost carefully: the award is 4.7% of the claim value as of September 2026, not the full number on your letter, and repayment terms can take much of it.
Calls asking for a fee to release your payment
Distributions are made by the trust through your claim file and, if you have one, your lawyer. Someone who contacts you demanding a processing fee, your bank login or your full Social Security number to “unlock” a distribution is not the trust. Check through your lawyer or the official trust site.
Boy Scouts Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is the Boy Scouts of America lawsuit over?
The court fight over the plan is. The Supreme Court denied review on January 12, 2026, and the plan was finalized on February 11, 2026. What continues is the trust paying claims, the trust’s litigation against insurers, and a mediation over $211 million in escrow interest ordered on September 3, 2026.
Can I still file a claim against the Boy Scouts?
Not in the main bankruptcy pool — that deadline was November 16, 2020. Whether any other path applies depends on your state’s law and who was involved; see our deadlines by state and speak with a lawyer who handles these claims.
Why am I only getting a small percentage of my claim value?
Because the fund is far smaller than the claims. The trust pays a percentage of each allowed value — 1.5% at first, then 3.2% more starting March 3, 2026, for 4.7% combined, per Harm Report. Larger payments depend on future recoveries from insurers.
How much has the trust paid so far?
Over $1.2 billion, with determinations on more than 62,200 claims, as of August 12, 2026, according to Sokolove Law’s tally of trust figures. That compares with about $316 million on January 27, 2026.
What is the $211 million dispute?
Insurers, including units of Chubb, escrowed $1.466 billion during the appeals. The principal was released in 2026, but the trustee says the insurers refused to release $211 million in interest that accrued. On September 3, 2026 the bankruptcy judge sent the dispute to mediation rather than ordering the money released, per Law360.
Can I sue my local council or the church that sponsored my troop?
Generally not for Scouting abuse: the plan released BSA, local councils and many chartered organizations and channeled those claims to the trust, and the Third Circuit left those releases in place on May 13, 2025. It does not release the individual abuser. Some chartered organizations were only partly covered, so a lawyer should check your facts.
Is Scouting America the same organization?
Yes. The Boy Scouts of America announced in February 2025 that it would change its name to Scouting America. The name change does not affect the bankruptcy plan or the trust.
I filed a claim years ago. What should I do now?
Keep your contact details current with your lawyer or the trust, keep every determination and payment letter, and ignore anyone charging a fee to speed things up. According to NJ Today, more than 2,000 claimants have died while waiting, so tell your lawyer about family or estate arrangements. If this process brings up a crisis, you can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
Related Consumer Brand Lawsuits
Boy Scouts Trust Payouts
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Rhode Island Boy Scouts Claims
Local council releases and the Other Protected Party path
Abuse Lawsuit Deadlines by State
Statutes of limitations and revival windows
Sexual Abuse Settlement Calculator
How abuse claims are valued outside bankruptcy