Children Remain at Risk Because Boy Scouts of America Has Kept These Files and Identities of Sexually Abusive Leaders Secret
(St. Paul, MN) – Today, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office filed a motion to support the public release of over 1500 Boy Scout perversion files.
At a hearing on August 6, 2019 in St. Paul, the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates, representing a survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a Boy Scout leader, sought the public release of 1,538 secret Boy Scouts files on leaders with allegations of sexual misconduct against children. The survivor was identified in the case as John Doe 180. Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has refused to make public the perpetrator names and documents contained in these files, known as Perversion Files.
In his motion, Attorney General Keith Ellison is asking a Ramsey County judge to allow his office to file an amicus brief supporting the release of the Perversion Files, stating that the request that the court publicly release the files in the John Doe 180 case “involves an important issue affecting the safety and welfare of children across Minnesota.”
“We hail the efforts of the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to take bold action to protect kids across Minnesota and the country,” said Attorney Jeff Anderson.
Anderson’s firm 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. Attorney Jeff Anderson has asked Ramsey County 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 The Children’s Theatre Company 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.