GEORGIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By Christian Boone – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A judge has dismissed some charges against the Boy Scouts of America and First Baptist Church of Gainesville filed by a man alleging he was molested 32 years ago by a former scoutmaster.

Critics say Cobb County Superior Court Judge LaTain Kell’s ruling reveals a shortcoming in the Hidden Predator Act. While the 2015 law extended the statute of limitations in Georgia for childhood victims of sexual abuse seeking damages, it protects the institutions that provided access to children for alleged abusers from any liability, they said.

The case against Fleming Weaver, who is accused of raping Robb Lawson when he was 14 years old at a Boy Scouts campground, will continue. Judge Kell denied Weaver’s motion to dismiss, saying his claim that Georgia’s Hidden Predator Act is unconstitutional is unfounded.

“The Boy Scouts of America is aware…