Former Boy Scouts Allege Sexual Abuse in Rochester
New Lawsuit to be filed Monday names admitted Child Molester Richard Hokanson, a local church and the Boy Scouts
2012 release of the “Perversion Files” included Hokanson and 22 other Minnesota Scout Leaders
What: At a news conference on Monday in Rochester, prominent sexual abuse attorney Jeff Anderson will:
- Announce the filing of the first civil lawsuit involving the Boy Scouts of America filed under the new Minnesota law eliminating the civil statute of limitations for children who are sexually abused and allowing a 3-year window for past victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their perpetrator and/or an institution that may have allowed the abuse. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two former Boy Scouts Doe 8 and Doe 9, were members of Troop 210, will name the Boy Scouts of America, Gamehaven Council, Inc., St. Pius X Catholic Church, troop sponsor, and former troop leader and convicted child molester Richard Hokanson, as defendants.
- Introduce survivor, Doe 8, who will offer a prepared statement at the press conference. The lawsuit will state that both Doe 8 and Doe 9 were sexually abused by Hokanson in the 1970s.
- Discuss the failings of multiple adults involved at St. Pius X, with the troop and the Boy Scouts, who received information in the early 1970s pertaining to Hokanson’s sexual abuse and failed to act to protect the children, thus enabling Hokanson to prey on youth and others.
- Alert the community and other sexual abuse survivors in Southeastern Minnesota about the Child Victims Act and encourage them to come forward and tell others about the new legislation.
WHEN:
Monday July 22, 2013 at 11:00 AM
WHERE:
Outside the Olmsted County Government Center
151 4th Street SE
Rochester, MN 55904
WHO:
Attorney Jeff Anderson, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based, internationally known trial lawyer widely recognized as a pioneer in sexual abuse litigation. Anderson has represented thousands of survivors of sexual abuse by authority figures and clergy.
Notes:
• Information packets including Hokanson’s Ineligible Volunteer (“IV”) file from the Boy Scouts and a statement from one of the survivors will be available at the press conference.
• Richard Hokanson is alive and living in Faribault, Minnesota. He is believed to have spent 22 years as a Boy Scout leader and held other positions in the Rochester area involving youth activities.
• In October 2012, the Boy Scouts of America released approximately 1,200 “Perversion Files” documenting reports of sexual abuse by Scoutmasters and adult leaders from 1965-1985 including 23 Scout Leaders from Minnesota.
Contact Jeff Anderson: Office/651.227.9990 Mobile/612.817.8665