PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A trial is under way in Portland for an Oregon man who claims the Boy Scouts of America covered up sexual abuse by Scout leaders for decades, and he was one of the victims as a child.
The man’s attorney, Kelly Clark, told a jury in his opening statement that about 1,000 files the Boy Scouts were ordered to hand over will show a national pattern of failure to prevent abuse or punish child molesters.
An attorney for the national Boy Scouts said those files were kept under wraps because they contained confidential information that should only be reviewed under court order.
The Boy Scouts claim the files helped them weed out sex offenders, especially repeat offenders.
The trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court began Wednesday and is expected to take about four weeks.
