New Ohio Boy Scout Abuse Lawsuit Filed

Our law firm will be working in conjunction with Attorney Konrad Kircher, local counsel in Ohio, representing Thomas Abner who was sexually abused by his scoutmaster when he was 7 years old.  The scoutmaster, Steven Woodard, pleaded guilty in Indiana of sex crimes against Abner.

The civil sex abuse lawsuit was filed in Ohio because many of the 300 sexual assaults Thomas Abner endured occurred in Ohio.  The state of Ohio reformed its statute of limitations concerning civil matters concerning sexual abuse in 2006.  The new Ohio law allows survivors of sexual abuse to bring civil claims against perpetrators and the institutions that protected them up until the survivor reaches the age of 30.

Our lawsuit alleges that the Boy Scouts of America were aware of Woodard’s sexual deviancy but failed to protect children.  According to one media report, “At Woodard’s 2002 sentencing, a judge noted that concerns about Woodard had been raised to Scout officials, “apparently without success,” the newspaper reported; two active scouting leaders spoke in support of Woodard, leaving a victims’ advocate “absolutely furious.”