A new lawsuit filed by 5 men accuses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or “LDS”) and the Boy Scouts of America of conspiring to cover up child molesters who abused boys for decades.
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Update: Boy Scouts, LDS Settle Nearly 20 Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
December 28, 2018 – A total of 19 lawsuits accusing the Boy Scouts of America and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) of harboring child molesters and systematically covering up decades of abuse have settled in civil court. The suits alleged that the Boy Scouts kept files on Scoutmasters accused of sexual misconduct, but failed to pass this vital information on to parents of children enrolled in the organization. The suits also contend that the scope of abuse was common knowledge within the Boy Scouts’ upper echelon, and that officials were aware of child molesters in their ranks, but kept that information a secret from law enforcement and families.
What’s the problem?
May 4, 2017 – The complaint, filed Monday in Boise federal court, alleges that LDS and Boy Scout leaders “actively concealed their knowledge that abusers had been joining Scouting for decades to gain access to and sexually abuse boys.”
Plaintiffs claim that the organizations ignored allegations about at least 3 Boy Scout leaders — Larren Arnold, Lawrence Libey and James Schmidt — who molested the boys during camping trips and other Scout-sponsored activities from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Each of the men is accused of abusing multiple boys during their tenure with the Scouts, with the alleged actions including sodomy, oral sex, fondling and forcing the children to sleep next to them in tents.
The complaint alleges that the Boy Scouts knew Arnold, Libey and Schmidt all had a history of abuse and were “ineligible” to be Scoutmasters because of the threat they posed. However, all 3 were still allowed to volunteer and work with boys.
The Boy Scouts kept secret files on Scoutmasters accused of sexual misconduct, keeping track of volunteers who shouldn’t work with children, but never revealed the findings to parents or law enforcement, according to the lawsuit.
Libey was convicted of sexual abuse in 1998.
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Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you were abused, molested, annoyed or harassed, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit and we can help.