Boy Scouts near bankruptcy deal with largest victims group

The Boy Scouts of America are nearing a settlement with lawyers for sex-abuse victims that marks a major step for the youth group’s efforts to end the largest bankruptcy case ever filed over childhood abuse, people familiar with the matter said.

  A deal with the law-firm coalition would mark a breakthrough for the Boy Scouts after 16 costly months under court protection. Any settlement proposal will still be subject to a vote by survivors and requires bankruptcy-court approval to take effect. A spokesman for the Boy Scouts declined to comment ahead of an anticipated filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del.