The Boy Scouts of America, one of the most respected organizations in the world, has kept secret files for decades on Scout leaders who have been accused of and caught sexually abusing young boys. The leadership of the Scouts have allegedly referred to the files as the “perversion files,” and they have fought long and hard to keep the files from being made public. These sex files have only been seen by the public in one other case in the 1980s.

Dozens of lawsuits against the Boy Scouts have been filed over the years alleging sexual abuse by Scout leaders, but judges for the most part have denied access to the sex files or the Scouts have settled the lawsuits before trial. Attorneys for the plaintiff in the Oregon case contend that the sex files show a pattern by Scout officials of ignoring suspected abuse or allowing pedophiles to return to their leadership roles. The attorneys represent a 37 year old Oregon man who was abused by a Scout leader in the 1980s. The defendant in the Oregon case has admitted abusing 17 out of the 30 boys in his troop.

One document from the files, by a Scout leader in an undisclosed town, states that a Scoutmaster who admittedly slept in the nude and showed pornography to Cub Scouts showed bad judgment, but shouldn’t be dismissed. Another document noted that a Scoutmaster who admitted sexual abuse was allowed to return to his duties after seeing a psychiatrist. Such evidence could certainly cause reasonable jurors to conclude that the Boy Scouts of America intentionally continued to expose young boys to sexually abusive leaders. Such intentional conduct could result in a substantial punitive damages verdict in the Oregon case.

There are over 4.5 million young boys between 7 and 20 years of age involved in the Scouts, and the Scouts have more than 300 leadership councils throughout the US. With thousands of Scouts in North Carolina, it is likely that some of those have also been abused by Scout leaders.

A spokesman for the Boys Scouts of America, Deron Smith, said “unfortunately, child abuse is a societal problem and there is no fail-safe method for screening out abusers.” While this may be a technically true statement, there are proven methods for preventing child sexual abuse. As I have previously written, the most important rule any youth organization must have is a firm policy that prevents one adult to be alone with one child at any time. You can read about ways for preventing child sex abuse at Darkness To Light.

At Davis Law Group, we have successfully represented those who have been sexually abused by trusted adults. If you have any questions about your legal rights, feel free to call and discuss your situation with an attorney who is experienced representing those who have been sexually abused.