A Portland, Oregon jury recently awarded compensatory damages of $1.4 million to Kerry Lewis, 38[pictured above] in his sexual abuse trial against the Boy Scouts of America[BSA]. The abuse had taken place in the 1980’s when Lewis was a young boy. The verdict, in light of the evidence, is hardly surprising.
Lewis was a member of a Boy Scout troop sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints[commonly called the Mormon Church]. The pedophile Scoutmaster, Timor Dykes, was a member of the church congregation. In 1983, before abusing Lewis, Dykes had gone to a Mormon bishop and confessed that he had already abused 17 boys. Dykes was then briefly barred from participating in Scouts. In 1984, he was then allowed to rejoin the Scouts. Some parents of the Scouts were advised about the Dykes suspension. The parents of Kerry Lewis were not. Shortly after rejoining the Scouts, Dykes sexually abused Lewis.
During the trial, the plaintiff was allowed to offer evidence regarding the “perversion files” – nearly 1000 files documenting cases of suspected sexual abuse in the BSA. The BSA had tried to keep the files confidential, but the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the files were admissible.
Next week the jury reconvenes to consider the issue of punitive damages. I anticipate a large punitive award as well.