A Staten Island man has sued the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Staten Island Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Westerleigh, Staten Island, and the Archdiocese of New York allegations a Scout leader sexually abused him in the late 1970s, when he was about 11 years old. According to a report by Staten Island Live, the former Boy Scout alleges that the volunteer “sexually abused him multiple times during camping trips to Ten Mile River Scout Camps in upstate New York and in Alpine, N.J,” and seeks unspecified damages.
The Staten Island man’s lawsuit against the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church, which allegedly “sponsored and organized” the Scout troop he was a member of, was filed under the Child Victims Act, which allowed survivors of child sexual abuse to sue over alleged abuses even if their statute of limitations has passed. The Act was established in August 2019 and extended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It expires next week, on August 14th, 2021.
According to the Staten Island Live report, the former Scout’s complaint states in part: “This case arises from childhood sexual abuse and exploitation that plaintiff suffered at the hands of the defendants’ Scout leader and volunteer, Joe, who the defendants knew or should have known possessed a danger to him and other children.” It alleges that “Joe,” whose last name it does not provide, groomed and abused the plaintiff, and that both the Boy Scouts and the church groups “the incidents of sex abuse committed by Scout leaders and volunteers to mask their own negligence,” according to the report.
In a statement to Staten Island Live, the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts said in part, “We are committed to fulfilling our social and moral responsibility to equitably compensate survivors while ensuring that Scouting can continue to serve youth, families, and local communities in the greater New York area for years to come.” It stated additionally that it is “collaborating with all parties” involved in the ongoing Boy Scouts bankruptcy proceedings to serve the interests of the tens of thousands of former Scouts who have filed child sex abuse claims against the organization.
More information on the Staten Island man’s lawsuit against the Boy Scouts, the the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Westerleigh, Staten Island, and the Archdiocese of New York is available via Staten Island Live.
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