Boy Scouts Negligent in Sex Abuse

This time it's not the Vatican. On Tuesday, a jury awarded a former Boy Scout $1.4 million in damages in a sex-abuse case, ruling that the organization was negligent for allowing one of its leaders, a sex offender, to have contact with kids. The organization could also have to pay punitive damages, which will be determined later in the week. Plaintiffs' lawyers alleged that Boy Scouts knew that Timur Dykes had abused at least one of the boys in the '80s. After Dykes was removed as leader, he was allegedly allowed to stay on as a volunteer, which provided more opportunities for abuse. Archived documents chronicle the abuse, plaintiffs say. Lawyers for the Boy Scouts say the group did not know of Dykes’ criminal record—including an outstanding warrant—at the time, but did acknowledge that the organization keeps secret files. "This is a longstanding societal issue that every youth-serving organization must address," the organization said. "Based on the standard of care of that time, the BSA believes it acted responsibly and that the evidence presented during the trial does not justify the verdict."