Statewide Iowa (RI) — Legislators may pass another bill to extend a legal deadline so hundreds of Iowa men can receive full payments from a $2.5 billion compensation fund for those abused by Boy Scout leaders.
Iowa law requires child sex‑abuse victims to file lawsuits by age 19 or within four years of realizing they were abused. A bill passed in 2024 gave Iowans abused by Boy Scout leaders until the end of this year to settle claims, but many cases remain unresolved.
Senator Tim Kraayenbrink of Fort Dodge has proposed extending the deadline until bankruptcy court proceedings and any appeals surrounding the settlement are completed.
Senator Tim Kraayenbrink of Fort Dodge has proposed extending the deadline until bankruptcy court proceedings and any appeals tied to the settlement are finished.
A Senate subcommittee has approved the proposal, and it is scheduled for consideration in a full Senate committee this week.
Representative Brian Lohse, a Republican from Bondurant, says the House will likely propose a different timeline, possibly four or five years, to complete the settlements.
Kraayenbrink says he heard from several men in their 40s and 50s who were abused as Boy Scouts after the legislature passed the 2024 bill.
It’s unclear how many former Iowa Boy Scouts who filed claims are still living in the state, though one lawmaker has suggested the number could be as high as 700.
The Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after more than 84,000 adults alleged they were abused as children by troop leaders and other volunteers.
KIWA Staff Photo
