Episcopal church fights sex abuse lawsuit

Kentucky.com and AP has the story:

A Paducah church that sponsors a Boy Scout troop has responded to a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by a former adult leader.

Attorney Richard Walter filed a response on behalf of Grace Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky on Feb. 18.

In responding to a lawsuit by a man who had been a Scout in the 1970s, the defendants deny all allegations and asked that the lawsuit be dismissed. Among the 16 grounds for dismissal, the church cites the statute of limitations.

The suit was filed Feb. 2 on behalf of a now 49-year-old Paducah man who claims abuse by his former scoutmaster, who is named in the complaint, but not as a defendant. The plaintiff says he was sexually abused during Boy Scouting activities.

Other defendants in the lawsuit are the Boy Scouts of America and the Shawnee Trails Council.

Here is a statement on the Grace Church, Paducah web-site from February 6, 2011.

Posted by Andrew Gerns on March 4, 2011 4:40 PM | |
Comments (2)

If the church sponsors this troop - tho I can't understand why any church would sponsor an anti-gay organization - they may be liable regardless of statute of limitations - the canons do not favor them.

Posted by Ann Fontaine [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 4, 2011 5:49 PM

Except that most "sponsorship" generally entails letting them use space for free and the troop showing up once a year at a church service. Not much in the way of supervision, much less background checks. Not sure how one can be liable for something over which one has no control--especially on offsite trips.

Posted by Tom Sramek Jr [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 5, 2011 3:31 AM

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