Public Release of 1,538 Secret Boy Scout Perversion Files Sought at Hearing Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court
Children Remain at Risk Because Boy Scouts of America Has Kept these Files and Identities of Sexually Abusive Leaders Secret
(St. Paul, MN) – Lawyers representing a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a Boy Scout leader are seeking the public release of 1,538 secret Boy Scouts files on leaders with allegations of sexual misconduct against children. Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has refused to make public the perpetrator names and documents contained in these files, known as Perversion Files.
“By keeping the identity and information regarding sexual abusers secret, Boy Scouts of America is putting kids at risk of being sexually abused,” said attorney Jeff Anderson of Jeff Anderson & Associates, who is seeking the release of the 1,538 Perversion Files. “There is a public safety imperative to release the names and information of these offenders immediately. The peril is grave and the time is now.”
Anderson is seeking the release of the 1,538 Perversion Files in the case of John Doe 180, who was sexually abused as a minor by Boy Scout leader Peter Stibal. John Doe 180’s lawsuit in Ramsey County against Stibal, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and related entities settled in 2014. The 1,538 Perversion Files were produced to John Doe 180 under seal, not to be released publicly. On Tuesday, Anderson will ask Ramsey District Court Judge Leonardo Castro to order the public release of the files.
Anderson points to some stark statistics in support of the public release of all Boy Scout Perversion Files, including:
- The Perversion Files in the John Doe 180 case comprise approximately 1,538 cases of sexual misconduct by BSA and 48,000 pages of documents from the years 1999–2008. Since these files are recent, most of the perpetrators are likely still alive and may still be working with children.
- In January 2019, defense expert Dr. Janet Warren testified in a Hennepin County trial involving Children’s Theatre that she was hired by BSA to review all BSA Ineligible Volunteer files (which include Perversion Files) from 1944–2016. Her review revealed an astounding 7,819 Boy Scout sexual misconduct perpetrators and 12,254 victims from 1944–2016. It is unknown how many of the 7,819 perpetrators BSA has disclosed publicly.
- BSA has maintained Perversion Files since the 1920s. It is believed that BSA has made public only approximately 5,000 Perversion Files and that it is keeping secret thousands more. By doing so, BSA is putting kids at risk.
Anderson will make his request for an order unsealing the 1,538 Perversion Files at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday before Judge Castro in Ramsey County District Court.