SAN ANTONIO - Today decades of confidential sexual abuse allegations within the Boy Scouts of America were released. A law firm out of Oregon fought to make more than 1200 of the organization's so-called "Perversion Files" available to the public. And now, that same law firm is handling a case right here in San Antonio.
The reports released today reveal the names of volunteers accused of sexual abuse or misconduct from 1965 to 1985. But that law firm out of Oregon now believes a case filed here in San Antonio will help them get a hold of more unreported cases of sexual abuse documented from 1985 to 2011.
The names of three San Antonio men who were once volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America showed up on the "Perversion Files" today. Claims of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behavior were filed against them from 1979 to 1983.
But you won't see James Hiatt's name anywhere in today's released report. He was once a scout master with Troop 41, here in San Antonio, and was convicted in 2008 of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
"Between the year of 2004 and 2005, it came to be revealed that trust had been seriously breached," Pat Maloney explained to us back in February 2011. "He was repeatedly and horrifically sexually abused."
Maloney, along with the firm out of Oregon, filed a civil lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America back in February 2011. They claim Hiatt used his authority and position of trust to force that 12-year-old boy to engage in various sexual acts. They accuse the Boy Scouts of knowing that pedophiles and child molesters wanted jobs and volunteer positions within their organization. And because they didn't warn parents about the dangers of sexual molestation in scouting, the Boy Scouts of America and the Alamo Scouts are at fault.
"For us it represents the pain and anguish for thousands of untold scouts,” Paul Mones said today.
Mones is part of the Oregon law firm and will be handling the case here in San Antonio. He believes the Hiatt case will help them get a hold of confidential Boy Scout files from 1985 to 2011. That case is currently in the discovery stages. Judge Martha Tanner recently ordered the Boy Scouts of America to release confidential files on sexual abuse allegations from 1985 to 2011. They are supposed to turn them over to Maloney and Mones in November; however, Mones anticipates they will appeal the judge’s ruling. Mones also tells us those files probably won’t be released to the public until the civil lawsuit goes to trial or is settled; and that won’t happen until next year.
To find out more about the "Perversion Files" -
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