The 2010 case Lewis v. Boy Scouts of America et al. was filed in Multnomah County, Oregon, by Kerry Lewis, a former member of the Boy Scouts of America who alleged having been abused by former scout leader Timur Dykes in the 1980s.  In 1983, Dykes had confessed to the local Boy Scouts of America co-ordinator that he had molested 17 Boy Scouts, but was allowed to continue working with the Scouts where, attorneys argued, he subsequently abused Lewis.

In 2010, the jury on the case held in favor of the plaintiff and ordered that the Boy Scouts of America pay $18.5 million as punishment for their actions-the largest punitive damages awarded to a single plaintiff in a child abuse case in the US.  Kelly Clark, an attorney representing the abused scout, had alleged the Boy Scouts of America failed to properly handle the abuse, saying "We saw numerous examples of the Scouts writing to law enforcement saying 'it would be best for the good of Scouting if this could avoid being made too public.'"

Some observers said the case "could have a snowball effect in much the same way high-profile molestation suits against the Roman Catholic Church had".  Patrick Boyle, author of Scout's Honor: Sexual Abuse in America's Most Trusted Institution, was quoted as commenting "Until this case, the Boy Scouts of America had managed to keep these cases largely underwater nationally. All of a sudden, it's gotten blown out of the water and the public knows that the Scouts have had this problem, too - just like the Catholic Church."

The trial allowed an American jury to view confidential files held by the Boy Scouts of America, although the Boy Scouts of America had fought to keep the files secret. They showed that BSA's knowledge of abuse dates back to the 1920s.  Reports said that in the US, the Boy Scouts of America settled about 60 similar historic cases out of court over recent years.  The files, which were released for the period 1965 through 1985, detailed the sexual abuse of scouts by their adult leaders.