Spokane7
34°
February 12, 2010 in City
Jury decides in favor of Morning Star
A jury reached a verdict Feb. 12, 2010, in the case of plaintiff Kenneth Putnam in the first of 19 lawsuits against Morning Star Boys’ Ranch scheduled for trial in Spokane County Superior Court.
(Full-size photo)
A jury today found against plaintiff Kenneth Putnam in the first of 19 lawsuits against Morning Star Boys’ Ranch scheduled for trial in Spokane County Superior Court.
Putnam, who was a resident at the group home for troubled boys in 1988 and ’89, claimed the ranch’s director at the time, the Rev. Joseph Weitensteiner, and counselor Doyle Gillum, now deceased, molested him.
“I am very pleased and tremendously happy for Father Weitensteiner,” defense attorney Jim King said. “Father Weitensteiner is good man and did not do the things that are claimed.”
He added that he also was happy for Gillum, who was killed in an automobile accident, and those who knew him.
Putnam’s lawyers claimed the ranch knew or should have known about ongoing abuse at the facility. The jury heard testimony from five witnesses who said they, too, were abused at the ranch.
Putman lead attorney, Tim Kosnoff, left the courtroom shortly after the verdict was read without issuing a statement. Putman was not in court to hear the verdict.
King, the attorney representing Morning Star countered that those claiming abuse were merely seeking money and called into question the credibility of the accusers, some of whom have criminal histories.
At a glance: Verdict form
The jury in the case was asked to answer yes or no to these questions.
1. No With respect to Kenneth Putnam’s negligence claim of failure of the Morning Star Boys’ Ranch to warn or protect him from childhood sexual abuse, was the Morning Star Boys Ranch negligent?
2. No Was the negligence of Morning Star Boys’ Ranch a proximate cause of Kenneth Putnam’s injury?
3. No With respect to Kenneth Putnam’s claim of outrage, did Morning Star Boys’ Ranch intentionally inflict emotional distress on Kenneth Putnam?
4. No Was the outrage a proximate cause of Kenneth Putnam’s injury?
5. No With respect to Kenneth Putnam’s civil conspiracy claim, did Morning Star Boys’ Ranch engage in a civil conspiracy with others to conceal its knowledge of childhood sexual abuse from Kenneth Putnam and civil authorities?
6. No Was the civil conspiracy a proximate cause of Kenneth Putnam’s injury?
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skeugster on February 12 at 4:25 p.m.
Coulld it be that there is a fraudulent Sex Abuse Claim enterprise at work in Spokane County? http://www.washcourts.com/?p=405
Scoutster on February 12 at 4:52 p.m.
Yes, it certainly is possible there is a cottage industry of suing the Church on fraudulent terms. If it’s true, it would be a shame that attys aren’t living up to their high ethical standards.
It could also be true that THIS one is bogus, and the other 18 (or some of them) might have a different outcome.
It could ALSO be that the Morningstar Boys Ranch former leadership are as innocent as OJ.
Or not.
Sharpgarry12 on February 18 at 12:31 a.m.
As a student at Adams Grade School on Regal in Spokane, I became acquainted with several of the “inmates” at Morningstar in Glenrose. What was conveyed, although in 1960, was a series of molestations and “duties” that were on or by the “inmates”. It was sick and the teachers were apparently required to say NOTHING! The students knew and kept their distance from problems they wanted nothing of. These youngsters WERE SLAVES!
Emkalawa on February 18 at 1:32 p.m.
HOORAY! Spokesman Review Print it on the FRONT PAGE! I live in a rural town south of Spokane and I don’t see the Spokesman. I just hope everyone hears of and reads about the jury’s verdict. Many of our good priests are lumped together unfairly as abusers. Are there abusers out there in the church? YES. If there are abusers in any family there could be potential abusers anywhere including schools, hospitals, police forces and camp organizers. Is anyone trying to sue those potential sourses of abuse? I’m not seeing any others lashing out against any abusive entity other than the priests of the Catholic Church! Many good and spiritual holy men have been reduced to nothing because of false accusations from ‘victims’ looking to cash in. The guilty should be procecuted—but do so while the abuse is happening, not years after. Our society has been primed well enough to be prepared to intervene when children are being abused. The perpetrators should be jailed for a very long time, and that includes fathers, grandfathers, neighbors, police, teachers, doctors etc—anyone who is an abuser. The cathoic church has suffered irreparable damage because of a guilty few.
Emkalawa on February 18 at 1:37 p.m.
Another notice to commentor Sharpgarry12. Hu! I was my parents’ slave too. I thought I had it so bad, but I was provided food (enough), clothes (barely in style), and a college education (half of which I had to pay for on my own). But I turned out a good, honest, faithful, and productively stable individual who is now raising 6 children with my spouse. When children come to places such as Morning Star, they enter an environment which is often a 180 degree turn around from where they have been. Most people who were at Morning Star came out of it far better than they would have been had they not went in. Look at the waiting list for boys wanting to go in even now!! It is too bad there isn’t a Morning Star for girls!!
out_of_the_ashes on February 25 at 10:30 p.m.
In response to Emkalawa when you said The guilty should be procecuted—but do so while the abuse is happening, not years after.”
I do agree with you that guilty should be prosecuted, However to do so when the abuse is happening? In real life in this day and age that is a lot more common as you say;
“Our society has been primed well enough to be prepared to intervene when children are being abused.”
I agree this is true now in this day age, BUT in the early 1980’s almost 30 years ago this was not the case. I can tell you from experiance that it was not cup of tea. The abuses that I suffered as a resident there, were similar to those that have been mentioned in this first case with Mr. Puttnam. When I tried to report them, I was told to shut up and if I did try to bring it up I was shamed, beaten with a paddle, and my famlies lives were theatened. As a very young boy, obviously I didn’t see things as an adult would, what I saw was that I needed to be quiet to protect my family! Now another thing the reason you see so many priests being accused of crimes like these is very simple. These are the people you trust your children with!!! The are in a position of absolute power, what they say goes if your priest tells you to say ten Hail Mary’s you do it. If your priest tells you that little John fell and busted his lip in Sunday school. Are you going to believe that, instead of little John telling you he got slapped because he said, I am going to tell.
Now don’t go thinking well here is another jailbird who has spent his life in and out of jails. I have never been in jail except as child at MSBR (and I was not court ordered there) I dont have any kind of vendetta against any particular religious organization either. I am a person who works with the community, and those in need, to help better themselves, or help them live thier lives a bit more comfortably.
Now I have laid my soul out here knowing I will be crucified, for saying these things and yet I want you to know there are those of us that did try to tell, but noone believed us then because we were residents at MSBR. Now there are over 20 people saying these things happened to them. Some might be scum of the earth, some of us however are not. Please dont jump to conclusions about all of the boys that went to the ranch being thugs out to make a buck. Some of us aren’t.