Lawsuit: priest demanded sexual favors for Boy Scout badges

By Mindy Aguon
Guam Daily Post
February 27, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/lawsuit-priest-demanded-sexual-favors-for-boy-scout-badges/article_8dcf6320-fca3-11e6-9707-b37479ccb85a.html

A Virginia resident who lived on Guam in the 1970’s alleges he was sexually molested and abused by a former priest and Boy Scout Master on Guam in order to attain Boy Scout badges.

Morgan Wade Paul, 53, is the latest victim to come forward and file a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana and retired priest Louis Brouillard in the District Court of Guam.

The lawsuit states that Paul became an altar boy in 1974 when he was 11 years old at Mongmong Parish of Nuestra Senor De Las Aguas. Paul alleges that he was required by the Agana Archdiocese to join and also become a member of the Boy Scouts Mongmong troop.

A year later, Paul met Father Louis Brouillard, the Boy Scout Troop Master and parish priest at the Mongong church. Paul was proud to be an altar boy and a Boy Scout and motivated to earn his swimming and lifesaving merit badges, the lawsuit states.

Brouillard would take four to six boys, including Paul, and drive them to Lonfit River in Ordot for a hike and swim. Paul alleges he saw the other boys get completely undressed to swim. On the first outing, Paul went to earn his swimming badge but did not strip naked. Brouillard had told the children including Paul, “You get naked or you get nothing at Snow White”.

After an hour of swimming, Brouillard drove Paul and the other boys to Snow White, an eating establishment, and ordered food for all of the children but Paul. He was told there was “nothing for you”.

The lawsuit states Paul felt like an outcast and feared he might not earn his merit badges if he did not cooperate with Brouillard, so he felt pressured to swim naked thereafter. In order to earn the swimming merit badge, Paul was required to float and tread water for 15 minutes. He claims he would be taken to the deep side of the river and as Wade floated, “Brouillard would grope at his private part and fondle him.” Paul said he tried to resist, but Brouillard kept grabbing at him.

The altar boy felt “helpless, confused and upset” and endured the sexual abuse twice a week for three to four weeks until he received his swimming badge.

Paul maintains that in order to earn the lifesaving merit badge, he would have had to endure more sexual abuse and outings with Brouillard so he didn’t pursue that merit badge and never went on another outing with Brouillard again.

Brouillard, who resides in Minnesota, has been named in more than a dozen civil lawsuits and admitted to sexually abusing boys while serving the diocese of Guam in the 1940’s through 1970’s.

In a signed statement included in the lawsuit, Brouillard said there may have been 20 or more boys whom he abused at various locations where he was assigned, including the Mangilao rectory at Santa Teresita Church, San Vicente Catholic School, and Father Duenas Memorial School. He said while on Guam, his actions were discussed and confessed to area priests as well as Bishop Apollinaris Baumgartner and was told to “try to do better and say prayers as a penance.”

The case filed today raised the total number of cases filed against the Archdiocese of Agana to 23 with the total amount of damages sought now totaling $115 million. Three off island law firms are anticipated to file sexual abuse lawsuits against the church in the next few weeks.