Boy Scouts of America to auction rare art to assist victims of sexual abuse

DALLAS - Irving-based Boy Scouts of America is showing a rare art collection for auction next month.

The art includes a collection of four Norman Rockwell paintings, each valued at more than $100,000.

Proceeds from the upcoming Heritage Auction will benefit more than 80,000 survivors of childhood sexual abuse that occurred within the Boy Scouts of America.

"It's obviously a tragedy that 82,000 men, and in some instances women, experienced sexual abuse while involved in scouting activities while they were children. Over half, just as a factoid, over half of my claimant population are over 65 years of age," said Barabara Houser, a BSA Settlement Fund Trustee.

In 2022, the Boy Scouts, now Scouts BSA, agreed to a $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan in what is the largest sex abuse settlement in US history.

The survivors' trust has been funded by cash, investment notes, even oil and gas interests that produce income.

"As trustee of the settlement trust, my responsibility is to take the assets contributed to the trusts and liquidate them. Some of them are already liquidated because it was cash that was provided to the trust, and then value the claims, determine whether the claims are allowable claims," said Houser.

The Scouts made several institutional changes to address child safety, but the settlement payouts will continue for many years.

The trust has already paid out $41 million to survivors.

"They were literally abused decades and decades ago and have been waiting over those decades for someone to recognize the validity of the claim that was asserted," said Houser.

It is unclear what amount of money the auction is expected to raise when it happens on November 15.