JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court says the Boy Scouts of America can’t be held liable for alleged sexual abuse by a scoutmaster.

Tuesday’s ruling applies to a lawsuit filed by a 35-year-old man who alleges he was abused starting when he was about 12. The man, identified only as John Doe, says the Boy Scouts was partly responsible.

The high court said state law allows for lawsuits only against abuse perpetrators, not corporations or associations.

The man’s attorney says that makes it harder to hold organizations responsible. Doe’s attorney had argued the case was filed within the statute of limitations for child sex abuse, which lawmakers extended in 2004.

But judges found the lawsuit was barred by the statutes of limitations for battery and negligence claims.