Trial postponed in suit against Scouts over fire

A trial has been postponed in a suit brought by the U.S. government against the Boy Scouts of America's Great Salt Lake Council for a 2002 wildfire that consumed more than 14,000 acres and cost more than $12 million to suppress and rehabilitate.

A five-day jury trial, set to begin Monday, was taken off the federal court calendar with no further date set. This comes amid rumblings that the government is in settlement negotiations with the Boy Scouts over the suit.

U.S. Attorney for Utah spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch confirmed Monday that the trial has been stricken but that no settlement has been reached. She said there is a chance a new trial date will be set soon.

Government officials are seeking to hold the Great Salt Lake Council liable for the 2002 East Fork fire, which consumed 14,208 acres of federal, state and private lands. A Forest Service investigation pinpointed the origin of the fire to an area where a group of some 17 Scouts, ages 12 through 14, were camping without adult supervision for their survival merit badges. Two 15-year-old camp counselors were assigned to supervise.

At the time, Forest Service officials had banned all fires due to the dry conditions. Depositions of the Scouts revealed they lit several fires, but they insisted they thought they put the fires out.

Attorneys for the Scouts say the government's investigation could not conclusively show the scouting group sparked the fire.

Last January, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled the case would go to trial, where a jury would decide if the Scouts were liable for starting the fire and how much they should pay for the damage.

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