This Week in the Mercury
Friday, April 23, 2010
Courts Boy Scouts Must Pay Sex Abuse Victim $18.5 Million
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 5:34 PM
Late breaking Friday afternoon news, everyone!
The jury has returned an astounding verdict in the case of the former Oregon scout who was sexually abused by his scout master, Timur Dykes, multiple times after Dykes confessed to leadership that he was a pedophile.
- Victim Kerry Lewis, right, and his lawyer in court two weeks ago.
Ten days ago, the jury found the Boy Scouts, the local scout council and the Mormon Church (whom Dykes told of his activities) liable for $1.4 million in pain and suffering. The jury's decision today slapped another $18.5 million on the scouts, finding they were criminally liable for $18.5 million failing to protect children. I wasn't in the courtroom today, check out The Oregonian for the details.
But the case is important beyond the verdict handed down today. It shines a light on decades of sex abuse among the scouts, and is only the second time that the scouts' massive "perversion files" have been hauled into the courtroom. The Boy Scouts of America, it turns out, have kept lengthy files of questionable volunteers for decades now, documenting alleged sex abuse along with issues like sexual orientation. In the next phase in this trial, Judge John Wittmayer will hear arguments on whether those files should be made public. Shouldn't we all get the chance to page through 20,000 pages documenting the Boy Scouts of America's failure to protect its scouts?
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