New York's new Child Victims Act has not only opened a one-year window for new litigation against abusers in the church, but other organizations that work with youth. Tuesday afternoon, the New York City-based law firm that has taken on the Catholic Church announced new lawsuitsagainst the Boy Scouts of America.
Jeff Anderson & Associates, which represents survivors of clergy abuse in Buffalo and elsewhere, announced new lawsuits against the BSA and its Greater New York Councils for sexual abuse by nine scout leaders against nine minors. Partnering with Anderson is the law firm of Greg Gianforcaro.
"This lawsuit that he has filed in New York seeks to require the Boy Scouts of America to come clean and disclose 1,538 Perversion Files we know they have under seal and are keeping secret," said Jeff Anderson.
Attorneys also released the names of about 50 BSA leaders who worked in New Jersey , saying they said are named in those files.
According to Anderson and his legal team, defense expert Dr. Janet Warren revealed back in 2011 that she had reviewed fileds in question and found more than 7,800 sexual misconduct perpetrators and more than 12,200 from 1944 to 2016.
The Scouts' Perversion Files have been tracking abuse within troops since the 1920s, according to Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive of the BSA.
In April, the Scouts hit back against the threat of lawsuits, saying they have been working harder than most organizations to keep children safe. Surbaugh said those files have successfully prevented predators from rejoining the organization and gaining access to youth.
