A civil lawsuit has been filed against the Boy Scouts of America Corp. and the local scout troops, alleging a scoutmaster sexually abused four teenage boys for two years in the mid-1970s.

The statute of limitation for criminal prosecution has expired under Connecticut law, which runs for 30 years after an alleged victim’s 18th birthday, or five years from the time an accuser notifies law enforcement or prosecutors, whichever comes first. The plaintiffs in this case could have filed a civil lawsuit up until their 48th birthday, but that window has closed. Because all the alleged victims are now in their 50s, plaintiffs attorney Brooke Goff said state law allows litigation under the fraudulent concealment statute. In essence, Goff said, that statute allows litigants to sue a party, in this case the Boy Scouts of America, accused of concealing information in order to prevent lawsuits.