Former Boy Scout Kerry Lewis Wins Sex Abuse Case Against Boy Scouts, Gets $1.4 Million

By: Caroline Black
Topics: Daily Blotter

Kerry Lewis (AP Photo)

PORTLAND, Oregon (CBS/AP) - Former Boy Scout Kerry Lewis, 38, has waited 30 years for justice to be served to the Boy Scouts of America who failed to protect him from an abusive assistant scoutmaster in the 1980s.

A jury awarded him $1.4 million dollars Tuesday and will return next week to decide on up to $25 million in punitive damages.

In 1983, Timur Dykes told a bishop from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) that he had molested 17 boy scouts, including Lewis. He was eventually convicted of various abused charges and spent time in prison.

Lewis' attorneys argued that the Boy Scouts organization was reckless for allowing Dykes to continue to associate with young scouts. They also harped on a pile of secret records which were dubbed the "perversion files" because they contained "red flag" information about potential Scoutmasters.

Lawyers for the Scouts argued the files helped weed out suspected child molesters. Lewis' attorneys said the information should not have been kept from parents.

The files certainly did not prevent Dykes from abusing his young charges.

"We are saddened by what happened to the plaintiff. The actions of the man who committed these crimes do not represent the values and ideals of the Boy Scouts of America," the group said in a written statement.

The Boy Scouts must pay $840,000, or 60 percent, of the $1.4 million verdict. The Cascade Pacific Council in Portland must pay $210,000. The LDS church already paid $350,000 to cover its portion of the case.

Lewis tried not to react as the verdict was read, but gave his mother a long hug afterward, reported MSNBC.

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by wolves158 April 15, 2010 2:12 AM EDT

how ironic, the poster homophobic organization of the world found guilty of hiring, protecting, and aiding hundreds of pedophiles while sanctimoniously refusing to let gays into their organization. I guess you really do reap what you sow.

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by creeksiden April 15, 2010 2:54 PM EDT: Why is this ironic? It only confirms that homosexuals do not belong in the organization. It also indicates that the structure used by BSA in the 1980's was not adequately screening them out. The files were used to prevent known homosexual/pedophiles from becoming leaders.
Without knowing the specifics of *****' convictions, I cannot say whether or not they resulted from the discovery of his actions during these abuses or not. The article also does not say whether ***** continued to be a leader after his convictions (I doubt it).


by creeksiden April 15, 2010 3:00 PM EDT: Apparently CBS also doesn't care for homosexuals since it censors Timur's last name from posts. How's that for ironic?