$5M lawsuit: Boy Scouts shielded pedophiles

E.G.W. alleges he was sexually molested and abused by Ellington, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard on Guam until December 1971 and as employee volunteer and assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts Troop in Agat. The plaintiff alleges that he met Ellington while he was attending Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Agat and was a member of the Naval Station Boy Scout Troop 32. The victim looked up to Ellington and trusted him based on his "elevated status" in the community, the complaint states. Ellington allegedly offered to teach E.G.W. how to build a model rocket in order to earn a merit badge. The boy's parents gave him permission to go to Ellington's house. when E.G.W. was 12, Ellington allegedly sexually molested and raped the boy on various occasions at his home, the lawsuit states

The lawsuit alleges the Boy Scouts and the Aloha Council knew or should have known that Ellington was a sexual predator of young boys before he sexually abused E.G.W., because Ellington had been committing acts of sexual molestation as a Boy Scout leader prior to the alleged abuse of E.G.W.

Perversion files The plaintiff's attorney David Lujan alleges the Boy Scouts created and maintained a "highly confidential file system," often referred to as the ineligible volunteer files or perversion files. The lawsuit states that between 1965 and 1985, there were at least 1,200 perversion files that were created for scout leaders, employees, servants, officers, volunteers and/or agents of the BSA who had molested one or more children.

The lawsuit alleges BSA "went to significant lengths" to keep the existence of the perversion file system and the problem with pedophile scout leaders a secret from its members. BSA documents, included in the court filing, show that Ellington was discharged by the Coast Guard on Guam in December 1971, for "character and behavior disorder." The lawsuit states Ellington had initiated sexual contact with two male minor children of a Coast Guard ship commander on Guam, which led to his discharge. After his discharge, Ellington began working with a Boy Scout troop in Phoenix, Arizona, but when the organization denied his application to become a scout leader, he asked for reconsideration.

On April 1972, BSA Executive Director of Registration and Subscription Paul Ernst responded to Ellington's letter and stated that the reason for not registering him had to do with the "cause" of his discharge from the Coast Guard. Subsequent letters between the Chamorro Council and various divisions in the Boy Scouts' national organization showed that Ellington's confidential file and records of him being affiliated with the organization were deleted. On April , 1972, BSA Executive Director of Registration and Subscription Paul Ernst Ernst, in a letter to Roger Pelz, scout executive of Chamorro Council No. 649 wrote, "We have placed this information in our file and have taken steps to have his name deleted from our records."

Lujan contends the exhibit bares the "secretive practice" of the Boy Scouts in the maintenance of a confidential file to protect itself and the actions of its scoutmasters at the expense of young boys, who were exposed to pedophile scoutmasters, the lawsuit states. The attorney said the exhibit is evidence that the Chamorro Council and its off-island superiors were in a conspiracy to cover up Ellington's acts. In 2012, the BSA was forced, by an Oregon judge, to release the perversion files that contained 20,000 pages of documents on 1,200 alleged child sex abuse cases within the organization between 1965 and 1985.

we know the church was covering for them, know the BSA were also. Poor children. Like lamb to the slaughter

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