The latest in an onslaught of claims against the Boy Scouts of America has witnessed four men seeking litigation against the long-standing organization for heinous acts committed in the 1970s. Their actions come in the wake of a recent sexual abuse lawsuit that forced the organization to pay nearly $20 million in damages last year. On September 13, 2011, four Oregon men filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts claiming that they were the victims of sexual abuse after the organization knowingly appointed a pedophile as their scoutmaster.
The victims lawyer acknowledges that the organization’s screening process lacks the ability to protect our nation’s youth. Since 2007, 35 individuals have sought legal action against the Boy Scouts of America for alleged sexual abuse crimes. However, recent allegations suggest that the organization knowingly transferred accused sex offenders to other troops in order to prevent isolated incidents from tarnishing their good name.
Tuesday’s lawsuit will be filed at the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland where prosecutors will attempt to prove that the Boy Scouts displayed a propensity for blatant negligence and fraud associated with numerous molestation charges against the four men, then aged 12 to 15.
The four men taking legal action allege that their scoutmaster, Steven Terry Hill, sexually abused them in the 1970s. Furthermore, the Boy Scouts of America organization placed Hill in charge of their troop, knowing full well that he had already been accused of three accounts of molestation while serving as a Scout leader in California. Prosecutors are arguing that the Boy Scouts demonstrated a blatant disregard for child safety when they knowingly placed an accused sex offender in charge of another troop.
Representatives of the victims also claim that the Boy Scout organization was aware that Hill was molesting boys in Portland’s Troop 76, but made no attempt to prevent further actions. While Hill was acquitted of any sexual abuse charges in the 1970s, he was later convicted on four counts of sodomy and furnishing drugs and alcohol to a minor stemming from an unrelated sex-abuse case involving a 17-year-old boy. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, only recently being released in 2011.
According to a similar trial taking place last year, the Boy Scouts had nearly 20,000 pages of “perversion” or “ineligible volunteer” files dating from 1965 to 1985. Identified in the files were nearly 60 individuals a year who were discovered to have molested children. Currently the organization is fighting to keep the documents from going public.
In response to an influx of adverse events and sexual abuse lawsuits, the organization has implemented a number of safeguards in the last decade. However, criminal background checks regarding volunteers have only been mandatory since 2008. Deron Smith, a spokesman for the Boys Scouts of America said that “youth protection is part of the DNA of our program.” However, a gross neglect for public safety has ultimately led to mounting litigation. In doing so, lawsuits have begun to tarnish the wholesome image that the organization prides itself on.
Do I Have A Sexual Abuse Lawsuit?
The trial lawyers at The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP have decades of experience navigating through complex legislative and regulatory issues and litigating high stakes cases all over the nation. Our law firm focuses on the representation of plaintiffs in sexual abuse lawsuits. We are currently accepting new cases in all 50 states.
If you or a loved one has been abuse by a Boy Scout volunteer, you may be entitled to financial compensation by filing a sexual abuse lawsuit. For a free case review, please click the link below or call toll free 24 hrs/day 1-(949) 557-5800.