The Boy Scouts and Their 19.5m Judgment
Maybe now we can stop touting the Boy Scouts as some impenetrable bastion of truth and goodness?
They’re anything but that. It does appear, however, that they’re quite skilled at keeping their dirty laundry in the basement instead of bringing it out for a cleaning.
From Oregon Live:
A Multnomah County jury said the Boy Scouts of America must pay $18.5 million for the sexual abuse a former Scout suffered as a child — the largest such award levied against the organization.
Attorneys for the former Scout, 38-year-old Kerry Lewis, said the vast majority of sexual-abuse lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America since the 1980s have settled quietly, and the issue largely has stayed out of the national spotlight. They said Friday’s verdict, however, exposed the organization’s dark history with pedophiles and its unwillingness to come to terms with the problem.
“What we saw here in Portland has really pulled back the covers on the Boy Scouts of America,” said Paul Mones, one of Lewis’ attorneys, speaking to a crowd of local and national reporters. Mones said that although he considers the organization generally safe, it needs “to be open and honest” about pedophiles who are drawn to its volunteer ranks.
Attorneys for the Boy Scouts swiftly left the courthouse, saying they were not able to comment pending appeal. They also added that six other boys abused by the same Scout leader as Lewis have cases pending against the organization. However, the Boy Scouts posted a general statement on its website, which said in part:
“The Boy Scouts of America has always stood against child abuse of any kind and is always looking for ways to improve its Youth Protection strategies.”
Minutes after the verdict, a tearful Lewis hugged his mother. Flanked by attorneys Mones and Kelly Clark, Lewis described the decision to sue — and testify in open court — as “very scary.” When he was 11 or 12 years old, Lewis was repeatedly molested by Timur Dykes, a Southeast Portland assistant Scoutmaster.
Lewis and his attorneys said they hoped the verdict would make Scouting safer.
“If I was able to help save one person, this was all worth it,” Lewis said.
Oregon law requires that 60 percent — or $11.1 million of the $18.5 million punitive-damages verdict — goes to the state’s crime victim’s compensation fund.
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