An ex-Boy Scout is bringing a civil case against the Boys Scouts of America after claiming that he was 13-years-old when a leader molested him 2007. As a result, about 120,000 pages of internal Boy Scouts files could be made public if the documents are used as evidence.
The Boy Scouts of America tried to prevent the documents from being released, but the California Supreme Court rejected the appeal and now Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Donna Geck has ordered the documents to be released. The documents are currently under a protective order and can’t become public until they are made open court record.
Recently, the Boy Scouts have been forced to release numerous files on alleged sexual abuse that dates back to 1960. The files detail abuse claims that were made by Boy Scouts, but Boy Scout officials never reported the claims to the authorities and tried to protect the accused.
The Boy Scout’s have denied the claims of abuse and argue that the files should remain private and confidential in order to protect the privacy of child victims and wrongly accused leaders.
The ex-Boy Scout’s attorney, Timothy Hale, stated, “The bottom line is the implications for today’s children, reflected by number of documents, emphasizes the need to release these documents publicly.”
Sources: KCRA3, Sacramento Bee