Confidential Portland Oregon Sexual Abuse Representation
Standing with Portland sexual abuse survivors — $500M+ recovered
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- $500M+ recovered
- 20,000+ cases handled
- 98% success rate
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Portland Office: 6500 S Macadam Ave Suite 380, Portland, OR 97239 · Open 24/7 by phone · (971) 803-4962
Confidential legal help for survivors of sexual abuse inside the Boy Scouts of America and its local Oregon councils, including the Cascade Pacific Council that serves the Portland region. Portland is where the modern reckoning began. In 2010, a Multnomah County jury delivered an $18.5 million punitive damages verdict against the BSA, the largest punitive damages award against the Boy Scouts of America at that time, and forced the release of the secret “ineligible volunteer” files.
Free, confidential consultation. Available 24/7. Pay nothing unless we win.
Call (971) 803-4962The Portland Verdict That Changed Everything
For most of the 20th century, the Boy Scouts of America kept a confidential set of files identifying adult leaders accused of sexually abusing scouts. They called them “ineligible volunteer” files. Survivors and the press came to know them as the “perversion files.” They began in the 1920s and were treated as an internal matter, never shared with parents, police, or new councils that hired the same men again.
That changed in Portland. In 2010, attorneys Paul Mones and Kelly Clark won a $19.9 million verdict in Multnomah County for Kerry Lewis, a Portland man who had been abused as a Scout in the 1980s by an assistant scoutmaster the BSA already knew had molested at least 17 other boys. The jury awarded $18.5 million in punitive damages (ABC News, 2010), the largest punitive damages award against the Boy Scouts of America at that time. The trial forced the BSA to turn over thousands of pages of internal files spanning 1965 to 1985 (CBC News, 2012).
The Lewis verdict opened the floodgates. Over the next decade, more than 82,000 survivors came forward across the country.
Where the BSA Case Stands Today
82,000+Survivors who filed claims in the BSA bankruptcy Scouting Settlement Trust$2.46BTotal settlement fund created in 2022 BSA Bankruptcy Plan$295.5MDistributed on 36,896 paid claims as of November 2025 Scouting Settlement TrustThe Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 18, 2020. After two years of negotiation, the court approved a $2.46 billion plan funded by BSA, its insurers, local councils, and many chartered organizations. On January 12, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a final challenge, clearing the way for full payments to survivors (CNN Politics, Jan 2026). The official trust is the Scouting Settlement Trust.
If You Did Not File a Trust Claim by November 16, 2020
The original deadline to file a claim against the BSA bankruptcy estate (the bar date) was November 16, 2020. Survivors who missed that deadline generally cannot recover from the Scouting Settlement Trust directly.
However, you may still have civil claims against chartered organizations (churches, schools, civic groups that sponsored a troop) that did not contribute to the bankruptcy, or against individual abusers. Whether you can still file depends on your specific facts, when you discovered the harm, and which institutions were involved. Our review is free and there is no obligation.
A Brief History of BSA Sexual Abuse Litigation
1920sBSA begins maintaining the "ineligible volunteer" files
The organization tracks adult leaders accused of abuse but keeps the files confidential.
1983Timur Dykes admits to abusing 17 Portland Scouts
Local BSA officials know. He is allowed to continue working with the program.
2010Lewis v. BSA: $19.9M Portland verdict
$18.5M in punitive damages. Multnomah County jury orders the release of the files.
20121,200 abuser files released to the public
Files spanning 1965 to 1985 confirm a pattern of cover-up.
2020BSA files Chapter 11 bankruptcy
February 18, 2020. The bar date for filing trust claims is set for November 16, 2020.
2022$2.46 billion settlement plan approved
Created the Scouting Settlement Trust to evaluate and pay 82,000+ claims.
2026Supreme Court clears the way for payments
January 12, 2026. The Court declines to hear a final challenge to the plan.
Who We Represent
We work with survivors of abuse that occurred during participation in any Boy Scouts of America program, including:
- Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts, Sea Scouts, and Venturing programs
- Troop meetings, weekly activities, and den meetings
- Summer camps, jamborees, and Order of the Arrow events
- Camping trips, hikes, and overnight outings
- Abuse by scoutmasters, assistant scoutmasters, troop leaders, camp counselors, or older scouts in positions of authority
- Abuse at troops chartered by churches, schools, civic clubs, or other host organizations in Oregon
For survivors of related institutional abuse, see also our pages on clergy sexual abuse and doctor sexual abuse.
Goldberg & Loren Fights for Maximum Compensation
Pay Nothing, Unless We Win
Oregon Law Still Matters, Even With the Trust
Oregon’s discovery-rule statute for child sexual abuse is one of the most survivor-friendly in the country. It governs civil claims against defendants that are not part of the BSA bankruptcy, including chartered organizations and individual abusers.
- Discovery-rule SOL: Under ORS 12.117, a survivor may file before age 40 or within 5 years of discovering the causal connection between the abuse and an injury, whichever is longer.
- Chartered organization liability: The church, school, or civic group that sponsored the troop may be liable separately from BSA, and many did not release survivors in the bankruptcy.
- Punitive damages: Oregon allows punitive damages where an institution knowingly concealed abuse, exactly the pattern the perversion files document.
- Pseudonymous filing: Courts routinely allow survivors to file as John Doe to protect privacy.
Meet Your Portland Trial Attorneys
Our senior partners handle every survivor case personally. You work with the attorneys, not a junior associate or call center.
George Goldberg
Senior Partner · Trial AttorneyWith more than 30 years of courtroom experience, George Goldberg has secured multi-million dollar verdicts against corporate and institutional defendants across Oregon. He is known for taking cases other firms turn down because the institution is too big.
- 30+ years trial experience
- Multiple seven and eight-figure recoveries
- Cross-examination focus on institutional cover-up
James Loren
Senior Partner · Trial AttorneyJames Loren has spent his career on cases involving abuse, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. He brings a survivor-centered approach to every consultation. Clients describe him as the lawyer who actually listens, then fights hard.
- 30+ years representing Oregon survivors
- Martindale Distinguished, Client Champion Gold 2025
- Trauma-informed litigation approach
What to Do If You Were Abused in Scouting
You do not have to be sure how to proceed. You only need to take the first quiet step.
- Make a confidential call: Speak privately with an attorney. You decide what to share. Everything is protected by attorney-client privilege.
- We investigate the institutional record: BSA files, news coverage, prior complaints, and the released perversion files often give us the evidence pattern we need.
- Free case evaluation: We identify the troop, the chartered organization, the council, and any other defendants whose negligence enabled the abuse.
- We pursue recovery: Settlement Trust claims, civil claims against chartered organizations, or both. We adapt the strategy to your case.
Compensation Available to Boy Scouts Sexual Abuse Survivors
Recovery depends on which path applies to your case. Possibilities include:
- Scouting Settlement Trust payments, for survivors who filed a timely claim before the November 16, 2020 bar date
- Civil damages against chartered organizations (churches, schools, civic groups) that sponsored a troop and were not released by the BSA bankruptcy
- Therapy, mental-health, and medical costs connected to abuse-related conditions
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, PTSD, and emotional-distress damages
- Punitive damages, where an institution knowingly concealed abuse
Each case is different. Past results, including the 2010 Lewis verdict, do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Where We Represent Survivors
We accept cases involving abuse that occurred in any Oregon Boy Scouts program, including troops chartered under the Cascade Pacific Council. Our Portland office serves clients across the region:
- Portland (Multnomah County)
- Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard
- Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview
- Salem, Eugene, Bend
- Vancouver, WA metro area
- All surrounding Oregon communities
Goldberg & Loren
6500 S Macadam Ave Ste 380, Portland, OR 97239
(971) 339-8080
Cases can be handled remotely. You do not need to come to our office to start. Request a confidential case review →
Frequently Asked Questions
You generally cannot recover directly from the Scouting Settlement Trust if you missed the bar date. However, you may still have civil claims against the chartered organization that sponsored the troop, such as a church, school, or civic group, and against individual abusers. Many chartered organizations did not release survivors in the bankruptcy. Whether your case is viable depends on your facts and Oregon’s discovery-rule SOL (ORS 12.117). A short, free consultation is the best way to find out.
In 2010, a Multnomah County jury awarded Kerry Lewis $19.9 million, including $18.5 million in punitive damages, against the Boy Scouts of America. At the time, it was the largest punitive damages award against the Boy Scouts of America. The trial forced the BSA to disclose its “ineligible volunteer” files, also called the “perversion files,” covering 1965 to 1985.
The Scouting Settlement Trust is the entity created under the 2022 BSA bankruptcy plan to evaluate and pay sexual abuse claims. It was funded by BSA, its insurers, local councils, and many chartered organizations, with a total value of $2.46 billion. As of November 2025, the Trust had issued determinations on 49,551 claims and paid more than $295.5 million on 36,896 of them. Following the Supreme Court’s January 2026 order, payments are moving forward at scale.
For civil claims that do not go through the Settlement Trust, Oregon’s discovery-rule statute (ORS 12.117) allows a survivor to file before age 40 or within 5 years of discovering the causal connection between the abuse and an injury, whichever is longer. In practice, many survivors first connect their adult symptoms to childhood abuse decades after it happened, and they remain within the statute.
Often, yes. The BSA bankruptcy released the national organization and most local councils, but many chartered organizations, churches, schools, civic clubs, were not released. They can still be sued in Oregon state court for negligent supervision, negligent hiring, and failure to protect. This is often where viable cases exist for survivors who missed the bar date.
Goldberg & Loren handles every BSA sexual abuse case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing up front. Our fee comes from the recovery only if we win. Initial consultations are always free and fully confidential.
Yes. Survivors may file under a pseudonym (John Doe) where the court allows. All communications with our firm are protected by attorney-client privilege. We never share your identity, your story, or your case details without your written permission.
You can still file a civil claim. Liability often rests with the institution that supervised the abuser, including the chartered organization that sponsored the troop. The released BSA files, combined with troop rosters, council records, and police reports, frequently allow our team to identify the abuser and confirm institutional knowledge even decades later.
Portland Survivors Started This Reckoning. We Are Still Listening.
Whether your case belongs in the Scouting Settlement Trust, in civil court against a chartered organization, or somewhere in between, the first step is the same: one quiet, confidential phone call.
Call (971) 339-8080 Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Pay nothing unless we win.George Goldberg
Senior Partner, Goldberg & Loren | Member, Oregon State Bar | Serving clients since 1994 | 30+ years, 20,000+ cases, 98% success rateLast updated: May 27, 2026Goldberg & Loren Personal Injury Attorneys
6500 S Macadam Ave #380,
Portland, OR 97239
(971) 339-8080
For most survivors, the hardest part of a case isn't the evidence, it's the decision to speak. When you're ready, our job is to carry the legal weight, guard your privacy, and make the people and institutions that failed you answer for it. You set the pace; we handle the fight.
George Goldberg
Senior Partner
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