Suit accuses Scout leaders of sex abuse

SEATTLE – A dozen men filed a broad new lawsuit against the Boy Scouts and former adult leaders Thursday, saying that abuse occurred regularly in Washington state sites such as a popular camp outside of Seattle.

The case accuses 13 different people of abuse – the largest number of such defendants in a case filed against the Boy Scouts of America, according to the attorneys. Those named in the filing include a scoutmaster accused of repeatedly abusing two boys, a camp cook accused of raping a boy, and a business manager accused of abusing a boy in a tent.

Attorneys said the case, filed in King County Superior Court, shows that the Boy Scouts and its affiliated organizations such as churches and schools demonstrated negligence in failing to protect Scouts.

A spokesman for the Boy Scouts of America declined comment on the case but said the organization deeply regrets that there have been times when Scouts were abused.

The lawsuit focuses particularly on Camp Brinkley, which was recently renamed Camp Edward and is located in Snohomish. Case documents describe problems beginning around the late 1960s through 1992.