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7 abuse claims filed against Scout Council

By Brian Ferry 3 min read

As Boy Scout Councils go, the Chief Cornplanter Council of Warren has among the fewest claims of sexual abuse against it.

Court documents released in early March show the number of claims against each council.

More than 83,000 unique claims of sexual abuse have been filed against the Boy Scouts of America nationwide.

Among those are 3,053 in Pennsylvania and seven claims against the Warren council.

There are 68 claims against the Allegheny Highlands Council that is based in Falconer, N.Y., and includes McKean and Potter counties and Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties in New York.

Faced with a growing number of claims, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy more than a year ago. Since then, it has established a reorganization plan and set up a compensation fund for victims.

Out of more than 101,000 total claims, the Tort Claimants' Committee is stating that about 83,807 are unique - there were some "amended and superseded and multiple claims filed on account of the same survivor."

Early this month, BSA submitted a bankruptcy reorganization plan that, according to the Associated Press, envisions continued operations of its local troops and national adventure camps but leaves many unanswered questions about how it will resolve tens of thousands of sexual abuse claims by former Boy Scouts

The plan calls for a $300 million contribution from the Boy Scouts' 250-odd local councils into a trust for abuse victims, although the form and timing of those contributions remain up in the air.

The organization does not expect local assets to have to be sold in order to fund claims.

"No local council assets are directly affected by the Chapter 11 filing because the local councils are not filing entities," according to information from the organization's website. "Local councils are legally independent, separate, and distinct from the national organization."

"The Boy Scouts of America believes our organization has a social and moral responsibility to equitably compensate all victims who were abused during their time in Scouting," according to the website. "We also have a duty to carry out our mission for years to come."

"In order to meet these dual objectives, the national organization has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy," according to the website. "Scouting programs will continue to serve youth, families and local communities throughout this process and for many years to come. Unit meetings and activities, district and council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects will take place as usual."

The national organization listed more than $1 billion in assets in its bankruptcy filing.

The Boy Scouts also say any unrestricted cash above the $75 million the organization claims it will need for operations when it emerges from bankruptcy will go into the trust fund.

The listed holdings do not include holdings of local councils.

The Chief Cornplanter Council is not comparably wealthy. There are councils that have over $100 million in holdings.

According to information obtained through the Warren County Assessment Office, the council owns two tracts adding up to 490 acres valued at about $160,000. The 316 Fourth Ave., Warren, headquarters building shows a market value of $36,204.

Chief Cornplanter Council Scout Executive and CEO Raymond Tennent declined comment, citing the ongoing court action.

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