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	Mormon Church Sued over Abuse Allegations By Wayne Freedman KGO November 17, 2009 http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=7122266 [with video] SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Three brothers filed a lawsuit in San Francisco containing allegations against both the Mormon Church and the boy scouts. They claim they were victims of sexual abuse in the 1970's and 80's that the church knew about and ignored. Attorneys also filed similar lawsuits in Washington and Oregon, representing other plaintiffs against the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts. The men in the San Francisco case moved away from the South Bay many years ago, but filed here because they claim the crimes happened in Northern California. In the most public of places, outside San Francisco City Hall, three brothers held a press conference revealing the most private and intimate issue of their lives. "Sexual abuse is a crime committed in crisis in secrecy and in same," said plaintiff John Doe number one. In the civil case filed in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday, they're identified only as John Doe number one, number two and number three. All three are suing the Mormon Church and the Boy Scouts of America for allowing Bill Knox to molest them while serving as their church bishop, scoutmaster and later as their stepfather when they lived in Sunnyvale in the 1970's and 80's. They claim the Mormon Church is liable because they complained, and the covered it up. "We told our elder church leaders. They did nothing. They hid it," said John Doe number one. "We are alleging that the Mormon Church and an arm of the Mormon Church, the Boy Scouts, and several other individual are negligent and they also have responsibility under vicarious liability," said attorney Lisa Sapcoe. The Boy Scouts of America said that it could not respond to the charges because it hasn't seen the complaint. An attorney for the Mormon Church described the allegations as: "Serious, but the law does not impose responsibility on the church for the kind of claims that are made on this." All three men live out of state, now and two of them live in Georgia. They finally came forward and filed the suit when Mr. Knox moved near them. "When I realized he was in my community and I saw him in a car when I drove by, I literally shook. I am a 44-year-old man. I literally shook at his presence," said John Doe number one. "We decided we cannot let other children suffer through what we suffered through," said John Doe number two. The men's mother still lives with Mr. Knox. They said she was aware of the abuse and trusted the church to fix it. Two of the men filing suit are dentists and the third is a former FBI agent.
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