FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2014
FORMER BOY SCOUT FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST BOY SCOUTS
FOR SEXUAL ABUSE BY SCOUTMASTER IN 1960’s
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Gilion C. Dumas 503-952-6789 gilion@dumaslawgroup.com
Ashley L. Vaughn 931-206-0090 ashley@dumaslawgroup.com
PORTLAND, OREGON – A former Boy Scout filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America and Cascade Pacific Council today, alleging that he was repeatedly sexually abused by his Scoutmaster, the notorious pedophile Clyde Brock, in the 1960s. The man, proceeding under the pseudonym G.P., was a Scout in Troop 220 in Oregon City, Oregon. After over 40 years, G.P. has finally stepped forward to reveal what happened to him and seek justice.
Gilion C. Dumas and Ashley L. Vaughn, of the Dumas Law Group, LLC, filed the lawsuit today in Multnomah County Circuit Court. This is the first civil lawsuit concerning Brock, who was drummed out of the Boy Scouts in 1968 when two boys in his troop accused him of sexually molesting them and ten other boys, although the Scouts covered up the reasons for Brock’s “resignation.” G.P. was molested for approximately one year, beginning in 1967 and may have been one of the ten boys identified by the two who came forward in 1968.
Brock’s Boy Scout Ineligible Volunteer File (“IV File”) was one of over 1,200 BSA “Perversion Files” that the Oregon Supreme Court ordered made public in 2012. It was one of the files considered by the jury in the 2010 Kerry Lewis trial in Portland before the jury awarded over $18 million in punitive damages against BSA. Ms. Dumas was one of the trial attorneys representing Mr. Lewis in that case.
“Brock’s IV File is one of the worst in the country and the worst in Oregon,” said Ms. Dumas. “It is an example of how BSA used its IV File system to cover up knowledge of pedophiles in Scouting and put the organization’s reputation before the safety of children.” BSA created Brock’s IV File after receiving reports from two boys in Brock’s troop that Brock had sexual relations with them and possibly ten other boys in the Troop. Faced with this information, BSA allowed Brock to “resign” in exchange for BSA agreeing to not “investigate” by talking to the ten other boys or their parents. “The BSA agreed to keep parents of the molested boys in the dark to protect a credibly accused pedophile and its own reputation,” said Ms. Dumas.
Even worse, Brock’s IV File shows that BSA had prior notice that Brock was a danger to children. The file notes that Brock had been “called to task” two times before for taking naked pictures of children, some with nude adults. Although BSA acknowledged that taking nude photos of kids “could not be condoned” by “Scouting’s leadership,” Scout leadership did condone Brock’s conduct by not kicking him out of Scouting when they first had notice of his nude photography.
Even after BSA forced Brock to resign, they encouraged and assisted in a cover up of the fact that he had been accused of sexually molesting 12 boys in his troop. BSA allowed Brock to claim he had resigned because of high blood pressure. After he resigned, the Scout Executive of the local Council wrote to suggest that, “while [Brock] should be encouraged to have no further contact at troop meetings, outings, etc., I can see no reason why he shouldn’t be recognized at the 50th anniversary celebration[.]” He thought it “would help to ally questions about his retirement from the troop,” emphasizing that “the less it is discussed among adults and boys . . . the better it will be.”
“It is hard to imagine the destruction caused to those 12 boys and their families by the cover up of Brock’s crimes,” Ms. Dumas said. It seems clear from Brock’s IV File that no one involved in Scouting reported Brock’s crimes to the police or to the parents of the 10 boys identified as likely victims.
Because Brock’s crimes were successfully covered up in 1968, Brock was able to molest and sexually exploit other boys. In 1971, he was indicted in Clackamas County for fondling an 11-year-old boy, and indicted on two counts in Jefferson County for fondling two ten-year-old boys. “Our investigations into his 1971 criminal conviction confirms that at least some of the abuse occurred while on camping trips,” said Ms. Dumas, “and that Brock told the parents that he was still involved in Scouting.” When Brock was arrested, police seized hundreds of photograph slides of nude boys and adults, and pornographic magazines and books, many featuring young boys. Brock pled guilty to one count in Clackamas County and one count in Jefferson County. Brock later filed a request with the court to have the items returned to him. Brock tried to re-register as a Scout volunteer in 1978 and 1982.
Brock’s IV File was profiled by Aimee Green of the Oregonian in 2012, when the IV Files were released to the public. As she noted, even though Brock pled guilty to sexual acts with a minor, he was not prohibited from spending time with youth because, as Green pointed out, a 1996 Oregonian article reported that Brock was volunteering at a local elementary school. At some point before 1968, the BSA had awarded Brock the Silver Beaver award, one of BSA’s most prestigious honors for Scout volunteers. The Scouts did nothing to rescind the award after he was accused of, and later convicted of, sexually molesting children. Brock died in 2001.
In the current lawsuit, G.P. alleges that Brock abused his position of trust and respect as a Scoutmaster to sexually abuse him. Brock frequently took the Scouts hiking, camping, and swimming in the summers. He encouraged G.P. and other Scouts to swim nude, took nude photographs of them, and fondled them while they were swimming. Brock frequently hosted Scouts at his house for troop meetings and sleepovers, where he encouraged the boys to hang out and sleep with him in the nude. He showed them slideshows of nude photographs of young boys and adults. During these sleepovers, G.P. suffered the worst abuse.
G.P. makes claims against the Defendants for sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and fraud. His claim is for $5.5 million. “This isn’t about the money, it is about holding BSA accountable for not protecting me, my brothers, and other Scouts for decades,” said G.P.
Ms. Dumas and Ms. Vaughn have substantial experience representing adult victims of child abuse against large institutions that allowed the abuse, such as the Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church, and other religious and youth-serving organizations. They have represented clients across the United States and currently have cases filed in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho. In Idaho, they represent 19 men in a sexual abuse lawsuit against the LDS Church and BSA, claiming that the organizations committed fraud by not warning Scouts and their parents about the severe risk of being sexually abused by an adult Scout volunteers. In Montana, they represent six women who were raped and molested by the male leader of their co-ed Explorer Scout Post in the 1970s.
Ms. Dumas notes that Brock had many more victims, including the ten boys mentioned in his IV File, and that there are likely many more witnesses with information. “We want these witnesses or other survivors to know, that if they come forward, they will be listened to and treated with respect.”
Anyone who has additional information about this matter is encouraged to contact attorneys Gilion C. Dumas or Ashley L. Vaughn at the following contact information:
Gilion C. Dumas 503-952-6789 gilion@dumaslawgroup.com
Ashley L. Vaughn 931-206-0090 ashley@dumaslawgroup.com
or contact us on our confidental contact form.