A lawyer who has worked for years to bring allegations of sexual abuse within the Boy Scouts of America to light says that as of Thursday he has gathered about 220 new clients who allege they were abused while participating in the program as children. The new allegations add to an already extraordinary tally of such claims against an organization dedicated to fostering the leadership and personal growth of young people.
Tim Kosnoff, the attorney who has gathered the claims, has worked on sexual abuse cases involving the Boy Scouts as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and said he felt a ‘‘moral imperative’’ to bring their stories to light.
Advertisement
‘‘Kids are still being abused in scouting,’’ Kosnoff told the Washington Post in a phone conversation Wednesday. ‘‘This is not historical.’’
His team says the allegations they’ve received span from 1953 to June 2018. The accusers are as old as 75 and as young as 15, and come from 33 states. The crimes alleged range from showing lewd photos to Scout members to molestation.
The Post reviewed a partially redacted document, compiled by Kosnoff and his team, that tallied 150 of the people who have signed on as clients. The document contains details for about 110 of the people, such as their age, the age at the time of the alleged abuse, and what they say happened to them.
The list was not yet updated with all the clients who had signed with Kosnoff when The Post viewed it.
They have not yet filed a lawsuit, Kosnoff said.
WASHINGTON POST