Scouts, brothers settle molestation suit

IDAHO FALLS – A week after the Idaho Supreme Court sent the case back to a lower court, two former Boy Scouts have settled their lawsuit against an eastern Idaho scouting council they alleged was responsible for their molestation by a camp director.

Terms of the financial settlement reached Friday between brothers Adam and Benjamin Steed and the Boy Scouts Grand Teton Council are being kept confidential, the Post Register reported Saturday.

The Steeds were staffers at Camp Little Lehmi who complained in 1997 that camp director Brad Stowell molested them. Stowell is serving a prison sentence for child molestation.

Benjamin, 22, and Adam, 24, sued the 14-county council for negligence in February 2005, seeking thousands of dollars in damages and attorney fees.

The Steeds alleged the scouting organization should be held liable for Stowell’s actions. Lawyers for the 30,000-member council argued it had no care and custody of the Steeds – who were 14 and 12 – because they were paid staffers at the camp.

The settlement reached Friday came a week after the Idaho Supreme Court sent the case back to 6th District Judge Ronald Bush in Pocatello. The high court said the Steeds had to prove the Scouts willfully caused them to be put in a dangerous situation.

Now that the case has been settled, the lawsuit will be dismissed, said Paul Steed, father of the two brothers.

“We can all now move forward,” Steed said. He said he could see the weight lift from his sons’ shoulders as they left the meeting in Pocatello on Friday.

Clarke Farrer, who took over as the council’s executive director in April, said the Grand Teton Council also was pleased about the settlement.

“We feel it’s time for healing on both sides,” he said.

Farrer said he now hopes to have an official recognition of the Steeds for their courage in exposing Stowell, who is serving a two- to seven-year prison sentence after admitting to molesting 24 boys.

Farrer succeeded Kim Hansen, who resigned as executive director last year after he was accused of failing to notify police of molestation at Scout camps.

Steed, who successfully lobbied the Idaho Legislature to revoke the state’s statute of limitation on reporting sexual molestation of children age 18 and younger, said he has confidence in Farrer and Dave Hermansen, the council’s newly appointed president.

A former Scoutmaster, Steed said he harbors no ill will toward Scouting.

“If they come to my house asking for Friends of Scouting contributions, I would donate,” he said.