Survivors of Mormon Sex Abuse » Our Work in the News

Boy Scouts shield abuser files used to vet volunteers

rebecca — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:12:13 +0000

By SCOTT K. PARKS / The Dallas Morning News
sparks@dallasnews.com

The Boy Scouts of America calls them the "perversion files."

Kelly Clark (left) and Paul Mones, attorneys for former Scout Kerry Lewis, gained access to 'ineligible volunteer files' and won an $18.5 million jury verdict against the Boy Scouts in April. They argued officials could have used the files to gauge their pedophilia problem. " alt="MIKE DAVIS/Special Contributor" onmouseover=" this.style.cursor='hand'" onclick="return clickedImage(this);" style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/09-12-2010.N1A_12scouts1.G592SKDI2.1.jpg" />

MIKE DAVIS/Special Contributor

Kelly Clark (left) and Paul Mones, attorneys for former Scout Kerry Lewis, gained access to ‘ineligible volunteer files’ and won an $18.5 million jury verdict against the Boy Scouts in April. They argued officials could have used the files to gauge their pedophilia problem.

The stories locked inside a neat row of metal file cabinets at BSA headquarters in Irving would sicken the most callous reader. Many of them document the activities of a pedophile banned from Scouting for molesting boys in tents, on hikes or while helping them earn merit badges.

The BSA, the nation’s premier youth organization, its wholesome image honed by iconic Norman Rockwell paintings throughout the 20th century, has meticulously kept the files since the 1920s.

They number in the thousands, but no one knows much about them because Scout executives and their lawyers insist they remain confidential.

Now, a growing chorus of critics is calling on the Scouts to open their sexual secrets to public scrutiny. They argue that the files contain a treasure trove of misdeeds that academic researchers and law enforcement might use to learn more about man-on-boy pedophilia.

"These files represent the largest reservoir of information ever gathered on the sexual abuse of boys in the United States, bar none," said Paul Mones, an Oregon lawyer who represents former Scouts who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of adult Scoutmasters.

"Even before the pediatric medical community and the law enforcement community knew the extent of the problem, the Boy Scouts knew about it and kept it a secret," Mones said.

Another lawyer, from Seattle, who also represents former Scouts in sex abuse cases against the BSA, provided The Dallas Morning News with a hint of what the files contain – spreadsheets indexing 5,133 files opened between 1947 and 2005. The News has not seen the actual files.

The Scouts regularly open new files. But they insist the information be kept confidential to protect those who report sexual abuse from retaliation, to shield child victims from exposure and to protect the Scouts from defamation claims brought by suspected pedophiles named in the files.

Scouting executives say the perversion files represent a tiny fraction of the millions of adult volunteers involved in Scouting over the years, and they contend that the pedophile problem is no worse in Scouting than in public schools or in other youth organizations.

The BSA also insists the files hold no value for academic or law enforcement researchers hoping to gain greater insight into pedophilia.

"Accordingly, while local Boy Scout councils are required to report any suspicion of inappropriate conduct to law enforcement, The BSA believes – and third parties have confirmed – that the files are not useful from a research perspective," Scout executives wrote in a prepared statement to The Dallas Morning News.

6 categories of files

Formally, the Scouts refer to the files as "the ineligible volunteer files," or the "I.V. files." Each one is labeled with the name of a Scoutmaster, Cub Scout den leader or other adult volunteer who has been banned from Scouting for wrongdoing. Nathaniel Marshall, the Scout executive who keeps the files, says they are separated into six categories:

• C-Criminal (murderers, robbers and such)

• F-Financial (thieves who steal from the Scouts or others)

• M-Moral (gays banned from Scouting)

• L-Leadership (bad-tempered or mean volunteers)

• R-Religious (atheists or agnostics banned from Scouting)

• P-Perversion (pedophilia, rape, child pornography, public lewdness and other sex-related crimes or incidents)

A few of the files involve men who never even made it into Scouting. Their misdeeds were noted by local Scout executives and a file was opened just in case they ever applied to get involved in Scouting.

But the vast majority of the I.V. files involve pedophile adult volunteers and some paid Scout leaders. They run the gamut from those only suspected of wrongdoing to those serving prison time after criminal convictions.

Some files are thin, with only basic information about the pedophile. Others are thick and stuffed with court records, witness statements and other investigative material.

All of the files end up in the innocuously named "membership resources office." There is only one set of keys to the file cabinets, Marshall said.

Scout executives say they use the perversion files for only one reason: to keep pedophiles or other sexual deviants out of Scouting. When someone attempts to register as an adult volunteer, the application goes to the membership office. Clerks make sure the prospective volunteer is not someone named in an I.V. file.

The BSA also performs criminal background checks for all volunteer applicants. Successful applicants are subject to background checks every three years.

Notations in the file indices obtained by The News indicate the system often works. Pedophiles caught and banned by the BSA have tried to reapply to become Scoutmasters. But their applications have been denied for wrongdoings logged into the I.V. files.

Scout executives say they’ve never analyzed the files or used them to generate statistics on pedophilia in Scouting. Nor have they used them to determine whether their policies to protect Scouts from pedophiles are working.

Are the pedophile Scoutmasters married or single? Do they have children in the troop? How old are they? Where did the molestation occur? In a tent on a campout? On a hike? In a school or church basement? In the pedophile’s home or apartment? Did the pedophile groom a single victim during a long-term relationship, or did he victimize several Scouts in a troop?

Scout executives haven’t used the I.V. files to find the answers, but they insist they are aggressively pursuing improvements in their Youth Protection Program.

"The more we learned about pedophilia, we got tuned in to that very quickly," James Terry, the assistant chief Scout executive, told The News. "We got serious about it."

Critics disagree. They say the Scouts could redact the I.V. files – black out the names of alleged pedophiles, victims and those who reported the abuse – and then share them with experts to learn more about pedophilia and the effectiveness of Scout policies.

In the mid-1980s, as their awareness of pedophilia grew, the Scouts instituted the "two-deep leadership" rule that forbids Scoutmasters and other volunteers to be alone with a Scout.

And, yet, the Scouts acknowledge that they have never searched the I.V. files to see if the policy is working.

Even child sexual abuse experts sympathetic to the BSA’s cause question their reluctance to share the files or expand their use.

Dr. David Finkelhor, a well-known expert in crimes against children, once was a member of the BSA’s Youth Protection Expert Advisory Panel, a working group of Scout executives and outsiders from academia and law enforcement. The committee was supposed to be working on programs to educate Scouts about pedophiles and other dangerous people.

In April 2009, Finkelhor testified in a sworn deposition that he had become frustrated with Scout executives because they refused to allow him or anyone else to examine the perversion files to see if youth protection policies were working.

"It never seemed to get on their agenda," said Finkelhor, who runs the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

He wasn’t the only child safety expert who became disenchanted with the Scouts and the Youth Protection Program.

Kenneth V. Lanning, a retired FBI agent who specializes in crimes against children, also served on the BSA’s expert advisory panel for almost 10 years. In April 2005, he sent a letter to Boy Scout headquarters announcing his resignation from the volunteer group.

Lanning said his resignation stemmed from "my perception that the BSA response to and attitude regarding [the advisory panel] fails to convey an adequate understanding and recognition of the problem of the sexual exploitation of children."

File use in court

No one knows how many I.V. files exist. The BSA won’t provide numbers. But the public has gotten glimpses from court records when former Scouts file personal injury suits alleging that the BSA and its local troop councils failed to prevent abuse by Scoutmasters or assistant Scoutmasters.

Last April, a Portland, Ore., jury awarded former Scout Kerry Lewis $18.5 million in punitive damages after finding the BSA negligent for not protecting him against abuse by a known pedophile Scoutmaster in the 1980s.

Throughout the trial, Lewis’ lawyers argued that Scout executives acted irresponsibly by not using the I.V. files to get a more complete picture of their pedophilia problem, and the jury apparently agreed.

The verdict jolted the Scouts. Since April, the BSA has instituted mandatory youth protection training for all Scoutmasters and other registered volunteers.

Last month, the BSA hired Michael V. Johnson, a respected detective recently retired from the Plano Police Department, as its director of youth protection.

"One of the reasons I accepted this job is the commitment of [top Scout executives] that they want to be on the forefront of youth protection," Johnson said.

Johnson said he has not formed an opinion about what, if anything, to do with the I.V. files.

The $18.5 million jury verdict in Portland also drove the BSA to settle five similar sex abuse cases late last month. But the Scouts still face numerous other cases across the U.S.

During the Portland trial, the Scouts were forced to give Lewis’ lawyers 1,587 I.V. files opened between 1965 and 1985. The vast majority, 1,123 files, were in the perversion category.

Janet Warren, an expert witness hired by the Scouts, testified that she reviewed many of the files in preparation for the trial.

"It was very limited what you could learn from these files," testified Warren, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia.

Warren also cautioned jurors to put the number of abuse incidents into perspective.

"By contrast, there would be somewhere between 100,000 and a million incidents where Boy Scouts went on camping trips or went to the home of their Scout leader to do a merit badge and was not accosted or hurt in any way," she said.

Even though the I.V. files from 1965 to 1985 were entered into evidence during the Lewis trial, a procedure that usually makes information public, the Scouts are fighting to keep them confidential. And the judge in the Lewis case has issued a protective order to keep the files secret.

The Associated Press and several other news organizations have filed a motion with the Oregon Supreme Court to make the files public. The court has yet to rule.

The public got another glimpse of the I.V. files in a similar series of lawsuits filed by former Scouts against the BSA in the state of Washington.

Tim Kosnoff, one of the plaintiff lawyers, prepared spreadsheets indexing 5,133 I.V. files opened between 1947 and 2005. He has read the material in hundreds of those files.

"To the extent there are any Scouts reasonably safe today, it has nothing to do with Scouting," he said. "It is parents. Show me a troop where parents are actively involved and I’ll show you a safe troop.

"For too many parents, Scouting is a free baby-sitting service. And pedophiles don’t go after the kids whose dads are active. They look for the kid who is craving adult male attention."

Dr. Gary Schoener, a Minneapolis psychologist, testified as an expert witness for the plaintiff in the Portland case.

The perversion files started as a noble idea, an effective tool to keep track of pedophiles, he said.

But somewhere along the way, the Scouts became concerned about the possible legal liabilities of storing vast amounts of raw data about pedophiles and their victims. The reluctance to analyze the data seems designed to limit liability, Schoener said.

Even so, Schoener and other critics acknowledge the good things that BSA has done for youth around the world during the last 100 years.

"The Boy Scouts have done some fine work, but they could do it better," he said. "This is about the good guys not being good enough."

Lawsuits to be filed against Boy Scouts and Mormon Church

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:53:25 +0000

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.

Abuse lawsuit names Mormons, Boy Scouts

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:51:36 +0000

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.

Mormon Church Named in Childhood Sex Abuse

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:01 +0000

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."

Oregon man filing suit against Mormon church

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:48:23 +0000

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.

Mormon Church, Boy Scouts Sued For Sex Abuse In SF Court

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:47:29 +0000

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.

Men file abuse suits against Mormons, Boy Scouts

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:46:34 +0000

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.

"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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ore. man claims sex abuse by Mormon youth leader

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:45:26 +0000

KTVZ.com

Associated Press – November 16, 2009 2:45 PM ET

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Mormon youth leader in Oregon has been accused of sexually abusing a boy in the mid-1970s in a lawsuit filed Monday in Portland.

The lawsuit filed by Portland attorney Kelly Clark on behalf of a man who is now 46 alleges the abuse occurred repeatedly between 1974 and 1977 in Woodburn.

The lawsuit claims the youth leader for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a music teacher at the time, and the abuse was later reported to a church bishop.

But the complaint alleges that no abuse was reported 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.

Mormon Church Official Accused of Molestation

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:44:39 +0000

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.

Mormon Brothers Unload Dark Tale of Sex Abuse

rebecca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:43:36 +0000

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.