MT Sex abuse case filed against Boy Scouts detailed

Posted: Sep 9, 2011 11:13 AM by Katy Harris (KAJ News)
Updated: Sep 9, 2011 1:42 PM

KALISPELL- Five Kalispell women filed a civil lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America earlier this week for sexual abuse they say they endured during a childhood club that took place in Kalispell in the 1970’s

A press conference was held in Kalispell by the plaintiffs attorneys on Thursday. William Leininger was a prominent Kalispell business man and very active in the community.

He ran several boy scout troops, including an explorer post that was co-ed. The troop was supposed to be boys and girls ages 14 to 18 but Leininger allowed girls into the troop as young as age 11.

The attorneys believe Leininger set this troop up to take advantage of young girls.

“He set up this troop with girls so that he could meet girls in a role as a trusted leader, trusted boy scout leader and use his position as a boy scout leader to create relationships with them, relationships of trust with girls and their families so that he could build on that relationship and abuse the girls,” said an attorney representing the five Kalispell women.

Leininger was criminally convicted in Kalispell in 1972 for an abuse case and was later convicted in 1982 for a separate abuse case and died in prison custody in 2002.