California Lawsuit Against Boy Scouts Could Reveal Sex Abuse Claims

A sex abuse case claiming negligence against the Boy Scouts is getting underway in California and will include the use of previously undisclosed information from “perversion” files kept by the organization.

The lawsuit was filed by a man who is now 20 and was molested by a Boy Scout volunteer in 2007.

Opening statements began Monday in Santa Barbara.

A judge ruled earlier this month that the plaintiff’s attorney can introduce information culled from more than 30 years of “perversion” files from the Boy Scouts as evidence.

Those files include documents spanning 16 years that contain allegations of sexual abuse by Boy Scout leaders that haven’t been made public before.

The plaintiff alleges the Scouts were negligent in their failure to educate and warn parents and volunteers about the dangers of sex abuse.