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Two Lawsuits Allege Sexual Abuse By Past Montana Boy Scout Leaders

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This is an official Boyscout uniform with many earned badges.

 

Two Montana men filed lawsuits Wednesday against the Boy Scouts of America and its Montana affiliate over alleged sexual abuse by Scout leaders. 

In separate court filings, the men, identified only by their initials to protect their privacy, say Scout leaders from Troop 190 in Great Falls and Troop 26 in Hamilton sexually molested them from 1980 to 1985 and 1968 to 1971, respectively. Court documents describe the abuse on multiple occasions: in cars on the way to and from scouting events, at the Scout leaders’ homes and on camping and hiking trips.

They say Boy Scouts of America and the Montana Council didn’t undertake reasonable effort to investigate two scout leaders, George Deblois and Clare Conroy, and their suitability to supervise children. The filings also allege the organizations did not adequately train or supervise the Scout leaders.

One man identified as MM says he told another Scout leader at the time about the alleged abuse but no action was taken.

Gilion Dumas, a Portland-based attorney representing both MM and MB, says Boy Scouts of America knew men joined the organization to abuse children but didn’t warn parents or children.

She says her clients want for BSA and the Montana Council to "acknowledge that these men were abused in scouting and that these defendants actually did something wrong. Not just apologize, that something may have happened during scouting, but these defendants actually were accountable for it, that they actually did something wrong. That would be a good first step."

Dumas says she’s aware of four so-called “Ineligible Volunteer” files BSA created that document other accusations of sexual abuse at the hands of Scout leaders in Montana, adding more victims may come forward.

Recent changes to Montana’s statute of limitations allow adult survivors of child sexual abuse to file claims through May 2020 of cases previously timed out.

Both plaintiffs in the suits filed Wednesday are seeking general and special damages, punitive damages and costs on four counts including negligence, fraud and malice.

Boy Scouts of America wrote in a statement, “We sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting. The safety and protection of children is our most important priority. The BSA has taken significant steps over many years to ensure that we respond aggressively to reports of abuse. Today, the BSA has multi-layered safeguarding policies, including mandatory training for all volunteers, background checks, mandatory reporting to law enforcement and a 24/7 Scouts First Helpline to access counseling and help needed to report any inappropriate behavior.”

Micheal Johnson, BSA’s National Director of Youth Protection, responded to a wave of recent allegations against Scout leaders in a post available here. For more information about BSA’s current youth protection policies, visit www.scouting.org/youth-safety.