Boy Scouts Sued for $10m
By Mindy Aguon
John A.B. Pangelinan was proud to be a Boy Scout. At the age of 11, he knew the Scout oath and the importance of citizenship and his obligation to God. "On my honor to do my best, to do my duty to God," he would recite the organization's oath repeatedly. He and the other Boy Scouts would often help out at Santa Teresita Catholic Church in Mangilao for Easter Vigil Mass. Other times, they would march in parades and play in baseball leagues for the Boy Scouts. After one outing in 1961 or ‘62, Pangelinan was called for a photo shoot in the Mangilao parish rectory. Assuming it was for the organization, the boy went inside. Pangelinan alleges his Scout master, parish priest Louis Brouillard, instructed him to take off his clothes and stand naked in front of a three-sided mirror. He was then subjected to a "photo shoot" as Brouillard allegedly took photos and video of the minor boy and touched his private parts. Pangelinan is the 33rd sex abuse victim to come forward and file a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana and the first of Attorney David Lujan's clients to file suit against the Boy Scouts of America, seeking a minimum of $10 million in damages for sexual abuse and molestation by Brouillard. Pangelinan also alleges that Brouillard would swim naked during Boy Scout outings on weekends, and tell the boys to swim naked and grope and touch their private parts, the lawsuit states. Pangelinan never swam naked, but witnessed some of the other boys swim naked with Brouillard. Lawsuit: ‘Pedophile priests’ exploited opportunities in Boy Scouts The lawsuit alleges that the Catholic Church developed and maintained a relationship with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in Guam by which "pedophile priests exploited the opportunity to serve as Scout masters for the specific purpose of having access to young boys." Lujan alleges that the relationship between the BSA, its Aloha Council and the Catholic Church resulted in numerous instances of sexual abuse and molestation. BSA and its Aloha Council were willing to "overlook and ignore the sexually predatory conduct of Catholic priests on Guam," and the plaintiff alleges the organization gained monetary revenues through the enrollment of young boys while priests gained access to boys to act out "sexually abusive and predatory behaviors." The lawsuit states, "The sexually abusive practices arising out of the relationship between BSA, the Aloha Council, and the Agana Archdiocese were another extension of the internal culture of sexual corruption and abuse that characterized the Agana Archdiocese in Guam." The Catholic Church in Guam is accused of placing their loyalty above their duty to protect the minor children, alleging that Bishop Apollinaris Baumgartner, Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, Monsignor Ziolo Camacho and now-deceased Father Antonio C. Cruz were aware of the abuse committed by Brouillard and remained quiet, court documents state. Lujan also believes that the BSA and Aloha Council should have known Brouillard was a sexual predator of young boys before he abused Pangelinan, as he alleges the priest and Scout master had been committing sexual molestation for approximately two decades prior to the 1961 incident. 'Immediate action' Earlier this month, BSA Aloha Council CEO Jeff Sulzbach told The Guam Daily Post that the organization took "immediate action" to preclude Brouillard from any further participation in the scouting program upon learning of the reports of alleged sexual abuse. Sulzbach could not say when the BSA became aware of the reports against Brouillard, but said it was possible the organization didn't take action against him until sometime after the 1970s. The lawsuit also refers to the BSA's long history of documented sexual molestation and abuse of young boys dating back to the 1920s and the over 1,200 "perversion files" created from 1965 to 1985 for Scout leaders accused of molesting one or more children. Lujan alleges the BSA and Aloha Council knew "if they revealed the truth, their revenues would sharply decrease," and the organization would have lost the prestige and reputation as a "safe program" for boys, and face liability for the thousands of boys who had already been sexually abused. Dozens more lawsuits expected Another two dozen lawsuits are anticipated to be filed against the Boy Scouts, and Lujan confirmed that more cases will be filed in the coming weeks as more victims have come forward raising allegations against some priests who have not yet been publicly accused. Archbishop Michael Byrnes issued a statement yesterday offering prayers for the recently named additional victims of clergy sexual abuse, including Jive Lee Kaai, James Mafnas, William Payne, Timothy Shiroma, Anthony Ray Mantanona, Michael Chargualaf, Richard Daniel Scroggs, Tomas Afaisen De Plata, Troy Torres and Pangelinan. "I ask all our Catholic faithful to pray for these men, other individuals who have come forward and yet others who have suffered sexual abuse from those they had trusted," Byrnes said. "We pledge to do all we can to ensure the full protection of all children and young persons entrusted in our care," he said. "We are committed to helping victims of clergy sexual abuse achieve healing and restoration."
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.