Minnesota Scout Abuse: Just Like the Catholic Church?

This week, Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough went public with the truth about sexual abuse he suffered as a boy scout in Minnesota.  McDonough, now 60, filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America alleging that the organization hid the truth about the problem of thousands of pedophiles who used the organization to gain access to and abuse boys.

McDonough told media that he hopes his case will encourage other former scouts who were abused to come forward and get help.

McDonough is able to bring his lawsuit under the Minnesota Child Victims Act, which creates a window for victims to come forward without hindrance from the statute of limitations.  The window is set to expire in 2016.

As a part of the lawsuit, McDonough is publicly demanding that the Boy Scouts release secret files on 49 predators who were active in Minnesota between 1992 and 2004.

“This shame is no longer mine,” McDonough said. “This shame belongs to the perpetrator. This shame belongs to the Boy Scouts of America.”

Following the public filing of McDonough’s lawsuit, legal experts in Minnesota are asking whether the abuse scandal in Minnesota scouting is similar to that in the Catholic church.

“There’s an eerie similarity,” said Dr. Charles Reid, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas.

“It begins to look an awful lot like the complaint originally brought against the archdiocese,” Reid said.  “This could be a replay of what we’ve seen with the archdiocese.  It could begin to look like a very sad sequel.”

Crew Janci is proud to be representing courageous men like Jim McDonough in holding the Boy Scouts accountable in Minnesota.  These survivors are seeking to expose the truth and make change to protect today’s children.

You can read more about this case on our Minnesota co-counsel’s website: www.noakerlaw.com

The attorneys at Crew Janci represent survivors of sexual abuse in Scouting around the country.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse in Scouting, please call us today for a free and private consultation at 1-888-407-0224 or use our confidential online form.

You are not alone.  We are here to help.