Boy Scouts of America 'Perversion Files' Made Available to the Public For the First Time

Previously confidential files include more than 1,200 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse and potentially represent thousands of child victims

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kelly Clark of the law firm O'Donnell, Clark & Crew LLP and attorney Paul Mones, pursuant to an order of the Multnomah County Circuit Court, today released more than 14,500 pages of previously confidential documents from the Boy Scouts of America's so called 'Perversion Files,' a set of files maintained by the Scouts since the 1920s that detail individual incidents of alleged sexual abuse within Scouting. The files released today contain detailed reports of alleged abuse by more than 1,200 different Scoutmasters and other adult volunteers from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) between 1965 and 1985, as well as the BSA's response to the allegations.

Officially called the Boy Scouts Ineligible Volunteer Files, but commonly known as the Perversion Files, the BSA established the national files and database to identify and track volunteers and Scout leaders who were deemed by the organization to be ineligible to participate in Scouting because of accusations of abuse.  As the files reveal, in the many of cases, the BSA did not share information it gathered about abuse with law enforcement. In fact in a number of cases, abusers were able to relocate, join different Scouting groups and continue abusing children.

Unlike previously released summary information on the existence of the files, the files released today contain every document associated with each case, including hand-written notes and internal communications between Boy Scouts executives.

The files released today were the centerpiece of a 2010 trial (Jack Doe 1, et at. v. Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Latter-day Saints, et al. Multnomah County Circuit Court Case No. 0710-11294) in which attorneys Clark and Mones proved that the BSA knew for decades, and concealed from the public, that it had an institution-wide problem with sexual abuse. The case ended with a jury verdict of nearly $20 million against the BSA on behalf of a man abused as a boy by a Scoutmaster. It was the first time that the Perversion Files were used as evidence in an open courtroom. Testimony at that trial established that the average pedophile has between five and 20 victims leading to the conclusion that thousands of boys were abused in the two decades these file cover.

"Child abuse thrives in secrecy, and secret systems are its breeding ground. These files are perhaps the most complete and comprehensive example we have ever seen of that sad reality," Clark said. "It is our hope that other youth organizations will learn the lessons from these files, and as a result, do a better job of protecting children."

"The released documents demonstrate the depth and breadth of the BSA's vast knowledge about the threats to Scouts by Scoutmasters and adult leaders who used their authority and the trust placed in them by Scouts and their families to sexually molest generations of boys," said Paul Mones. "The files represent the largest and most comprehensive data collection system on child sexual abuse maintained by any youth organization in the nation."

In the 2010 trial it was shown that an assistant Scoutmaster in a Mormon Church-sponsored Boy Scout troop had sexually molested Jack Doe 4, who later agreed to the use of his name, Kerry Lewis, in the 1980s. The Scoutmaster had previously confessed to molesting 17 other boys in the troop, but was allowed to return to Scouting within a few months and subsequently molested Lewis.

The Perversion Files were the subject of extensive testimony by Boy Scouts executives, as well as experts for both sides, and were given to the jury for review in their deliberations. The testimony at trial established that BSA had been keeping such files since at least 1920.

Despite the importance of the Perversion Files in the Lewis trial, the BSA continued to fight to prevent public release of the documents after the verdict. In response, the Associated Press, the New York Times, The Oregonian, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Courthouse News Service and other news organizations forced the issue to the Oregon Supreme Court. The Oregon State Supreme Court ruled that the documents should be disclosed after they were deemed central to the proof that BSA had known of a serious child sexual abuse problem for decades, and yet had actively concealed the problem from Scouts, their families and the public. The BSA has since established a policy to notify law enforcement when abuse is reported.

Also today, Clark and Mones announced that since the BSA is a congressionally chartered corporation, they are sending a letter to the Congressional subcommittee overseeing the operations of the organization and calling on Congress to commission an audit of current BSA safeguards.

"With all due respect to the BSA, they asked our society to trust them, and we did, and they broke that trust," Clark said. "With the health, safety and lives of kids at stake, that is not something we should do again. We are asking Congress to examine the BSA's youth protection program to ensure all steps necessary are being taken to protect children."

The complete files are available for download at: www.kellyclarkattorney.com. All names and contact information for child abuse victims and those who reported the abuse have been redacted from the files under court order.

SOURCE O’Donnell, Clark & Crew LLP