By

Tom Hallman Jr., The Oregonian

A Portland attorney who has filed multi-million dollar lawsuits over the years on behalf of hundreds of adults who claimed they were sexually abused as children said Sunday night he plans to file similar lawsuits Monday morning in three states.

The suits allege abuse by the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, said Kelly Clark,  who has represented victims of Jesuit priest abuse. Clark alleges three boys were allegedly abused in San Francisco, one in Portland and another in Seattle, all while participating in the Boy Scouts. He said the Boy Scout program has been a part of the Mormon church’s official men’s program for decades.

"There is a close connection," Clark said. "The Mormon church sponsors 50 percent of the Boy Scout troops in the Western United States."

Oregon church leaders were unavailable for comment. The operator at the national headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, said no one would be available to discuss the suits until Monday.

Clark said he planned to file the first suit in San Francisco and then travel north Monday to Portland and then Seattle.

Clark said the alleged abuse took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He claimed the alleged abuse occurred over a period of years.

NevadaAppeal.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Mormon church and Boy Scouts of America were named as defendants in lawsuits Monday claiming childhood sexual abuse by youth leaders decades ago.

Alleged victims filed suits against both organizations in San Francisco and Seattle, and against the church alone in Portland, Ore.

The plaintiffs are all represented by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who has brought similar suits against the church and the Boy Scouts in the past.

In the suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, three brothers claim the church ignored their complaints about being molested by their Silicon Valley Boy Scout and Mormon youth leader in the 1970s and 1980s.

“These are men who believe in the best of these institutions and believe that this kind of lawsuit can help improve these institutions and prevent child abuse,” Clark said. “This is not a lawsuit they brought lightly, but it is one they intend to see through.”

The plaintiffs, identified only as John Does, claim they were molested hundreds of times by 65-year-old William Eugene Knox, who married their mother while the abuse was taking place in Sunnyvale, Calif.

A law firm in Canton, Ga., contacted by The Associated Press said it was no longer representing Knox, a Georgia resident. His phone number could not be located.

Clark said the suit was filed weeks ago, but the defendants were only named Monday after a San Francisco judge certified evidence allowing them to be identified publicly. He said a jury would determine the specific amount of any possible damages.

One of the plaintiffs was still a devout member of the church, and two have served as scoutmasters. Clark said one was a former FBI agent.

San Jose attorney Allen Ruby, representing the church in Northern California, said he was not aware of a case in which courts have found a church liable for abuse committed by a family member.

“The allegations in this case are the plaintiffs were abused by their stepfather,” Ruby said. The church will defend itself against the suit, he said.

Kent Downing, chief executive of the Boy Scouts’ Pacific Skyline Council, said he could not comment because he had not seen the lawsuit.

In the Seattle case, a man now in his early 40s claims he and other boys were abused in the late 1970s by Dustin Hall, an assistant scoutmaster chosen by the church’s Shelton Ward near Olympia.

The plaintiff said in a statement released through his lawyer that the abuse — and his failure to protect the others — haunts him.

Hall could not immediately be reached for comment. It was not clear if he still lives in the area or whether he has an attorney. The Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Chuck Gordon, a Seattle-based lawyer for the church, said it would investigate the complaint and act accordingly.

“While we do sympathize with all victims of abuse, the church will defend itself against any accusation it deems to be false,” Gordon said.

The lawsuit filed in Portland on behalf of a man who is now 46 claims a Mormon youth leader abused him between 1974 and 1977. The suit claims the abuse was reported to a church bishop but never communicated to law enforcement.

A lawyer for the church, Steve English, said the church “absolutely and unequivocally” condemns sex abuse and will investigate.

The lawsuit identified the youth leader as Michael Simms and seeks nearly $5 million in damages. Efforts to locate Simms were not successful.

Clark said the plaintiffs were filing civil lawsuits in part because the statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges had expired.

———

Associated Press Writers Gene Johnson in Seattle, William McCall in Portland, Ore., and Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

KMJ 580 AM

By Margaret Carrero

Another religious leader is being accused of sexually molesting young boys — and this time — the Mormon Church is under fire.

On Monday, three brothers named the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts of America in the Bay Area city of Sunnyvale in a lawsuit, claiming they were sexually abused as children in the late 70s and 80s.

One of the brothers decided to file suit after their alleged abuser, William Eugene Knox, now 65, moved into his hometown.

Attorney Kelly Clark says "…that got him really stirred up and he started thinking and talking about his childhood abuse.. he started working with a counselor and one thing lead to another and he decided that he needed to get this secret out."

Clark says Knox, a leader in the Mormon Church and a Boy Scouts Master, worked his way into the boys’ lives knowing their mother was divorced "…Knox comes along and he’s a big wig in the local church… he played a profound role in these kids’ lives… at some point he began dating their mother… some significant time after the abuse began is when he married their mother."

The lawsuit claims the boys were molested from the time the younest boy was seven and the oldest was 12 and continued for at least seven years.

The suit also alleges that leaders of the Mormon Church were made aware of the alleged abuse back in 1983, but it was never reported to law enforcement authorities.

While the statute of limitations has passed to criminally charge Knox for the alleged abuse, Clark says the brothers came forward to help prevent child abuse, to help themselves heal and to have the Mormon Church "acknowledge and accept resposibility for what happened to them."

By KATU.com Staff and News Sources

Video

PORTLAND, Ore. – The attorney at the center of a number of high-profile cases against the Mormon church plans to file another round of lawsuits Monday.

A case against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – also known as the Mormon church – will be filed in Portland’s Multnomah County Circuit Court Nov. 16, according to Rebecca Tweed, who handles media relations for the Portland law firm O’Donnell Clark & Crew. The attorney representing this civil case is Kelly Clark with O’Donnell Clark & Crew.

The suit is being filed on behalf of an Oregon man. The man alleges sexual abuse as a child at the hands of a Mormon church youth leader. 

This is one of a handful of related abuse lawsuits Tweed tells KATU that Clark will file in San Francisco, Seattle and other West Coast towns Monday against the Mormon Church. Four of the suits also name the Boy Scouts as defendants.

In 2007, Clark represented six Portland men who filed a lawsuit against the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts of America seeking $25 million in damages for alleged sexual abuse in the 1980s. Clark reportedly obtained several trial court rulings and a state Supreme Court win in that suit.

Other cases represented by Portland attorney Kelly Clark.

San Francisco Appeal

Three former Sunnyvale residents announced today they have sued the Mormon church, the Boy Scouts of America and their stepfather in San Francisco Superior Court for alleged childhood sexual abuse.

The three men, who are brothers now aged 39, 41 and 43, claim that William E. Knox, 65, a Mormon church and Boy Scouts leader, molested them repeatedly in Sunnyvale between 1977 and 1987.

A brother identified as John Doe 2, who now lives in Georgia, said, "I’m a victim and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. It was devastating to me. I’ve been abused hundreds of times over several years."

The brother alleged, "During the abuse, I told the church leadership responsible to protect me and they did nothing to protect me."

Knox married the brothers’ mother in 1979 and remains married to her, but the brothers are now estranged from Knox and their mother, according to Kelly Clark, a lawyer for the men.

The lawsuit alleges that before the marriage, Knox used his position as a church elder and youth leader to begin abusing them when they were members of a church-chartered Boy Scouts troop for which he was assistant leader. The molestation began during individual sleepovers at Knox’s Sunnyvale apartment, according to the lawsuit.

After the marriage, the sexual assaults allegedly continued at the family’s Sunnyvale home, in Knox’s car on trips to church and Boy Scouts activities, and during Scouts camping trips, according to the lawsuit.

The alleged abuse included fondling, child masturbation and oral copulation, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit was filed about two weeks ago, but under state law the identity of the defendants could not be revealed publicly until a Superior Court judge ruled last week that the plaintiffs had provided enough corroborating evidence to allow disclosure of the defendants.

Two of the brothers now live in Georgia and the third in Colorado. They announced the lawsuit at a news conference at the Civic Center Plaza near the Superior Court courthouse.

They said they filed their lawsuit now because they became aware of the psychological effects of the abuse after they learned last December that Knox and their mother had moved to the same Georgia town where two of them live.

They said that caused them to begin for the first time to connect the psychological and emotional problems they suffered as adults to the alleged childhood abuse.

John Doe 1 said, "When I saw him in a car as he drove by, I literally began shaking."

Allen Ruby, a San Jose lawyer representing the church, said, "Any allegation of childhood abuse is a serious matter," but said, "The church will defend itself."

Ruby said, "The law does not make a church responsible for the conduct of a stepfather toward his children."

Deron Smith, a spokesman for Boy Scouts of America, said, "We’ve not seen the lawsuit and there is not a whole lot we can say at this point."

The lawsuit contends that the Mormon church and the Boy Scouts are liable because Knox was acting as an agent of both. It says the boys told local church officials and the Boy Scouts of the alleged abuse in 1984 and informed a church counselor in 1985 but alleges that the molestation was never reported to law enforcement authorities.

The suit also alleges the church and Boy Scouts were aware that Knox had shown a propensity to abuse boys when he lived in San Diego before moving to Sunnyvale in the early 1970s.

The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of financial compensation. Clark said the men filed a civil lawsuit because the statute of limitations for a criminal prosecution has passed.
The brothers said they are seeking to hold the institutions accountable and to prevent molestation of other children.

John Doe 2 said, "I stand here today for children who will lay their head on their pillows tonight, shedding tears, knowing they will wake up to face their abusers again and again. If I can save just one child from childhood sexual abuse, I will have succeeded."

The lawsuit alleges that John Doe 1 was sexually abused from 1977 to 1982, John Doe 2 from 1977 to 1986 and John Doe 3 from 1977 to 1987.

It says that a high school friend who was a fellow Mormon and Scout member told John Doe 2 in 1983 that he had allegedly been abused by Knox.

The brothers said that Knox and their mother operated a now-defunct day care center at their home in Sunnyvale, known as Little Angel Day Care and Creative Play, for about 15 years, including during years when brothers were allegedly abused.

Clark said the lawsuit was filed in San Francisco because state law allows lawsuits to be filed in any county in which the defendants due business.

Associated Press

By MARCUS WOHLSEN

SAN FRANCISCO — The Mormon church and Boy Scouts of America were named as defendants in lawsuits Monday claiming childhood sexual abuse by youth leaders decades ago.

Alleged victims filed suits against both organizations in San Francisco and Seattle, and against the church alone in Portland, Ore.

The plaintiffs are all represented by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who has brought similar suits against the church and the Boy Scouts in the past.

In the suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, three brothers claim the church ignored their complaints about being molested by their Silicon Valley Boy Scout and Mormon youth leader in the 1970s and 1980s.

"These are men who believe in the best of these institutions and believe that this kind of lawsuit can help improve these institutions and prevent child abuse," Clark said. "This is not a lawsuit they brought lightly, but it is one they intend to see through."

The plaintiffs, identified only as John Does, claim they were molested hundreds of times by 65-year-old William Eugene Knox, who married their mother while the abuse was taking place in Sunnyvale, Calif.

A law firm in Canton, Ga., contacted by The Associated Press said it was no longer representing Knox, a Georgia resident. His phone number could not be located.

Clark said the suit was filed weeks ago, but the defendants were only named Monday after a San Francisco judge certified evidence allowing them to be identified publicly. He said a jury would determine the specific amount of any possible damages.

One of the plaintiffs was still a devout member of the church, and two have served as scoutmasters. Clark said one was a former FBI agent.

San Jose attorney Allen Ruby, representing the church in Northern California, said he was not aware of a case in which courts have found a church liable for abuse committed by a family member.

"The allegations in this case are the plaintiffs were abused by their stepfather," Ruby said. The church will defend itself against the suit, he said.

Kent Downing, chief executive of the Boy Scouts’ Pacific Skyline Council, said he could not comment because he had not seen the lawsuit.

In the Seattle case, a man now in his early 40s claims he and other boys were abused in the late 1970s by Dustin Hall, an assistant scoutmaster chosen by the church’s Shelton Ward near Olympia.

The plaintiff said in a statement released through his lawyer that the abuse — and his failure to protect the others — haunts him.

Hall could not immediately be reached for comment. It was not clear if he still lives in the area or whether he has an attorney. The Pacific Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Chuck Gordon, a Seattle-based lawyer for the church, said it would investigate the complaint and act accordingly.

"While we do sympathize with all victims of abuse, the church will defend itself against any accusation it deems to be false," Gordon said.

The lawsuit filed in Portland on behalf of a man who is now 46 claims a Mormon youth leader abused him between 1974 and 1977. The suit claims the abuse was reported to a church bishop but never communicated to law enforcement.

A lawyer for the church, Steve English, said the church "absolutely and unequivocally" condemns sex abuse and will investigate.

The lawsuit identified the youth leader as Michael Simms and seeks nearly $5 million in damages. Efforts to locate Simms were not successful.

Clark said the plaintiffs were filing civil lawsuits in part because the statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges had expired.

Associated Press Writers Gene Johnson in Seattle, William McCall in Portland, Ore., and Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

KTVZ.com

KCBS.com

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)  — A suit filed in San Francisco Superior Court accuses the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts of America of covering up sexual abuse. The three men filing the suit are coming forward after three decades of silence.

The suit claims the three brothers were children when they told the Mormon church that they had been abused hundreds of times by church official, Eugene Bill Knox, who was also their Boy Scout leader. Kelly Clark is their attorney.

KCBS’ Barbara Taylor reports

"Most child abuse survivors shove this away and it becomes a secret," he said.

Knox brought the family into the church and married their mother. They say they don’t blame her, but they definitely blame the church and the Boy scouts.

"The Mormon Church failed," one said. "They betrayed me."

The brothers, who grew up in the South Bay, have declined to give their names and are identified in the suit as John Does. This is one of three sex abuse suits filed against the Mormon Church this week. The others are in Portland and Seattle.

Church figure, Boy Scout leader accused
By Joe Rosato Jr
NBCBayArea

There wasn’t much about the three men, other than their considerable height, that drew even the most casual glance in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. They walked slowly across the plaza Monday, a vague similarity imbrued in each face.

But each brother carried an identical dark secret left over from childhood.

Today they stood before TV cameras and reporters, and unloaded a dark secret for anyone to hear. “I have come forward today to give the church that I love,” said one of the brothers, identified as John Doe 1, “the opportunity to realize that what they did to me what was wrong.”

The brothers, who are identified in court records only as John Does 1, 2, and 3, allege they were sexually molested by a Sunnvale Mormon and Boy Scout leader in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Their tale has another twist: The man they say destroyed their youth is also their stepfather.

Their lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, accuses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Boy Scouts of knowing about the abuse, but failing to stop it. The men, now in their late 30s and early 40s, say they told church leaders at the time what was happening, but no one did anything.

“I love this church … but the Mormon Church failed,” said Doe 1. “They betrayed me. When I told my childhood leader of the abuse, they did nothing. “

The suit identifies William Knox, 65, as the alleged abuser. Attempts to reach him and his attorney were unsuccessful. An attorney for the church said any allegation of childhood abuse is a serious matter, but noted that the law doesn’t make a church responsible for the conduct of a stepfather toward his children

The brothers are now estranged from their mother, who is still married to Knox. They said when they were children they tried to tell her what was happening to them.

“My mother knew, I told her,” said Doe 3. “I believe she relied on the church to help her and they did nothing.”

The brothers say the pain over what happened to them as children welled up in recent years. It’s the reason they’ve come forward now. They hope the airing of their story might help other children caught in the same situation.

By Wayne Freedman

ABC7News

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Three brothers filed a lawsuit in San Francisco containing allegations against both the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts. They claim they were victims of sexual abuse in the 70s and 80s that the church knew about and ignored.

Attorneys also filed similar lawsuits in Washington and Oregon on Monday, representing other plaintiffs against the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts.

The men in the San Francisco case moved away from the South Bay many years ago, but filed here because they claim the crimes happened in Northern California.

In the most public of places, outside San Francisco City Hall, three brothers held a press conference revealing the most private and intimate issue of their lives.

"Child sexual abuse is a crime committed in silence, covered up through secrecy and shame," said plaintiff John Doe No.1.

In the civil case filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday, they’re identified only as John Doe No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.

All three are suing the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts of America for allowing Bill Knox to molest them while serving as their church bishop, scoutmaster and later as their stepfather when they lived in Sunnyvale in the 70s and 80s.

They say the Mormon Church is liable because they complained of the abuse and the church covered it up.

"We told our childhood church leaders. They did nothing. They hid it," said John Doe No. 1.

"We are alleging that the Mormon Church and the arm of the Mormon Church, the Boy Scouts of America, and several other individuals are negligent and they also have responsibility under what we call vicarious liability," said attorney Lisa Sapcoe.

The Boy Scouts of America said they could not respond to the charges because they had not seen the complaint.

An attorney for the Mormon Church described the allegations as "serious, but the law does not impose responsibility on the church for the kind of claims that are made on this."

All three men live out of state now, two of them in Georgia. They finally came forward and filed the suit when Mr. Knox moved near them.

"When I realized he was in my community and I saw him in a car when I drove by, I literally shook. I am a 44-year-old man. I literally shook at his presence," said John Doe No. 1.

"We decided together that we can no longer let other children suffer through what we have suffered through," said John Doe No. 2.

The men’s mother still lives with Mr. Knox. They said she was aware of the abuse and trusted the church to fix it.

Two of the men filing suit are dentists and the third is an FBI agent.