Abused in Scouting filed a suit against Boy Scouts of America in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday on behalf of 8 men who were sexually abused while they were Boy Scouts. The case was made possible by a change in DC law which allows all sexual abuse victims under 40 to file suit within the next two years regardless of how long ago the abuse happened.

Abused in Scouting stated, “It’s long past due for Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to answer to abuse survivors for its organization-wide misconduct, failures, and dishonesty with respect to child abuse.” The case was filed in DC because that is where BSA is headquartered and if the lawsuit is successful it would open up the floodgates to allow men from all over the United States to file suit against BSA in DC, even if their state has a window statute in place.