Meyerkord & Meyerkord, LLC Files Civil Suit in Boy Scouts Sex Abuse Case

ST. LOUIS - Sept. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- The Boy Scouts of America and Black River Electric Cooperative are under new legal scrutiny for claims concerning the sexual abuse of two former scouts of Troop 27. The lawsuit, which is still in its infancy, was filed in the 22^nd Judicial Court in the city of St. Louis. It’s scheduled to be presented to a jury on March 10, 2014.The plaintiffs, whose names shall remain fictitious – as approved by the judge – are represented by Meyerkord & Meyerkord, LLC.

The lawsuit aims to seek punitive damages for the sexual abuse of two male scouts of Troop 27. Along with the Boy Scouts of America, Black River Electric Cooperative, which was the sponsor of Troop 27 in 2009, has also been named in the suit. The lawsuit is not the first regarding the incidents of statutory sodomy connected with the troop’s former scoutmaster, who, coincidentally, also served as police captain and community leader in Madison County. The original case was filed in early January of 2010, at which time the scoutmaster was charged with 16 counts of statutory sodomy.

Court records indicate that the scoutmaster admitted in an interview with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to engaging in sexual intercourse with two boys, both of whom were under the age of 16 at the time of the sexual abuse. Further reports indicate that the scoutmaster also confessed to videotaping the boys during the sexual activity. Additional charges were again filed against the scoutmaster in July of 2010, including a Class A felony for the sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 14 and 2 Class B felonies for the sexual exploitation of a minor under the age of 18. Three more Class B felonies for the possession of child pornography were also charged against the scoutmaster.

On November 19, 2010, the scoutmaster pleaded guilty to all 22 charges against him and was subsequently charged with 3 separate life sentences. The alleged incidents, which are still under legal review, are believed to have begun in March of 2009. The two plaintiffs have stated that a majority of the incidents of sexual abuse took place in the scoutmaster’s truck and that the boys were given strict instructions from their scoutmaster to not tell anyone about what they were doing.

The actions of the Troop 27 scoutmaster have been commented on by many, including a circuit court judge who described the scoutmaster as “every parent’s nightmare.” Missouri Attorney General C. Koster also issued a statement regarding the matter, declaring “It is tragic and unfathomable that a person in a position of trust and influence, especially trust and influence over minor children, would take personal advantage and would abuse that trust.” Meyerkord & Meyerkord, LLC will continue to advocate for the rights of the two male scouts who were victimized by the sexually abusive behaviors of their own scout leader. To learn more about the St. Louis personal injury law firm that is representing this case, visit the firm’s website at http://www.stlouis-personalinjury.com.