SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The first trial of a civil lawsuit over the Morning Star Boys’ Ranch has been delayed while a Spokane County Superior Court judge reviews pretrial motions. The trial, which had been due to start Monday, is now scheduled to begin Tuesday in Judge Kathleen O’Connor’s courtroom.
Nineteen men have sued the ranch, alleging that employees at the home for troubled boys sexually and physically abused them when they were residents.
The first trial is of a lawsuit filed by Kenneth Putnam, who was sent to Morning Star as a ward of the court in 1986.
Morning Star officials, supporters and its former director all vehemently deny the accusations.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com
