Apparently the Boy Scouts have a secret set of files that they've held onto for years, outlining all sorts of accusations and evidence of child molestation. They are internal documents that have been kept secret for years. They been a focus recently because of the recent settling of a lawsuit after an incident of a scout leader molesting three young teenage boys. The Boy Scouts settled the case rather than have the files made public. A judge earlier had ruled that these files could be used as evidence in the case, possibly resulting in these files eventually being opened to the public. These files have been previously noted in the news and by such websites as Jezebel, as evident by this story by Erin Gloria Ryan in 2012.

The family of the victim, now 20, sued the Boy Scouts, alleging the organization was negligent in its handling of the matter.

A judge ruled earlier this month that the plaintiffs could use the Scouts' secret "perversion files," which outline years of molestation claims and incidents, as evidence in the trial, a ruling that opened the door to possible public release of the files.

In regard to the perversion files, also known as the Ineligible Volunteer Files, Scout officials said "the behavior in these reports runs counter to everything for which the BSA stands."

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our youth members," they said. "The Ineligible Volunteer Files exist solely to keep out individuals whose actions are inconsistent with the standards of Scouting, and Scouts are safer because those files exist."

They also said the Scouts' national council reviewed all the files from 1965 to the present and reported to law enforcement any incidents that had not already been reported.

I've been just hearing about this now and am not super familiar with this whole issue but it raises a real WTF is going on with the Boy Scouts and these goddamned files—these secret internal files about possible incidents that actually should be reported to the police?