Boys and Girls Club Abuse: Get Help Today
If you experienced sexual abuse at a Boys and Girls Club, you have legal rights and options, including potential eligibility to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against Boys and Girls Club.
"*" indicates required fields
Author: Kathryn Kosmides
- A multi-year investigation by Hearst Connecticut Media found that over 350 individuals across 35 states have alleged they were sexually abused as children by volunteers, employees, and other members of Boys & Girls Club of America affiliates.
- Dozens of sexual abuse lawsuits against Boys and Girls Club have already been filed, and many perpetrators have faced criminal charges around the U.S.
- If you or someone you know experienced sexual abuse by a Boys and Girls Club employee or volunteer, you have legal rights and options, and we’re here to help you take the next step forward.
Boys and Girls Club: Abuse Allegations Over the Years
With roots dating back to 1860, Boys & Girls Clubs of America now has over 4,600 local affiliates across the United States. The organization and its affiliates serve more than 4 million children annually, with an approximate annual budget of $100 million partially funded by the U.S. government. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America now has approximately 65,000 staff members nationwide.
While the organization has helped countless young people develop skills and confidence, many youths have been subjected to sexual harassment and abuse perpetrated by staff members and volunteers. Particularly vulnerable to abuse are at-risk youths. These already vulnerable children have often been preyed on by coaches, youth counselors, teen directors, and other leaders within the programs.
Numerous staff members have already been criminally charged. Meanwhile, many survivors and their families have filed lawsuits against the organization nationwide.
In 2019, Hearst Connecticut Media published their six-month investigation that uncovered 250 individuals across 30 states who allege they were sexually abused as children while in the program by volunteers, employees, and other members. Their investigation also uncovered 95 criminal convictions and civil lawsuits filed spanning decades – with children as young as 6 years old being harmed.
A follow-up report published in 2020 found an additional 100 individuals across five more states—and that’s just Hearst Connecticut’s findings. There are likely hundreds of other survivors of abuse by Boys & Girls Clubs staff and volunteers who have not yet come forward, and many criminal charges have possibly been sealed or expunged.
The allegations outlined in the Hearst Media report are harrowing. Examples of sexual abuse at Boys & Girls Clubs include the following:
- Sexual grooming
- Inappropriate touching and groping
- Sexual harassment and inappropriate comments
- Indecent exposure
- Voyeurism
- Creation of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM
- Exposure to CSAM or pornographic material
- Forced oral sex
- Rape
If you or your child has experienced sexual abuse at a Boys and Girls Club, you have rights and options. We can help you understand them to empower you to take the next step. If you have questions or wish to speak with a lawyer, contact us, and we can connect you with an experienced attorney today for free.
- Boys and Girls Club: Abuse Allegations Over the Years
- Boys & Girls Club Abuse Allegations in the News
- Legal Rights & Options for Impacted Boys & Girls Club Program Attendees
- What to Know About Filing a Lawsuit Against Boys & Girls Club for Sexual Abuse
- Boys & Girls Club Lawyer & Lawsuit FAQs
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
Boys & Girls Club Abuse Allegations in the News
Many children who experience sexual abuse may repress the memories and not remember or discuss them with anyone for decades. Often, they are unable to recognize that the incidents were abusive. We have compiled some of the Boys & Girls Club abuse allegations raised in news reports, civil lawsuits, and criminal proceedings. Hopefully, this list can help individuals recognize and label their experiences.
The reports of sexual abuse involving Boys & Girls Club programs date back decades. However, many are recent, with civil and criminal court proceedings still pending. The following are some recent notable cases against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its affiliates:
- In August 2024, Ciriaco Johnson, a former teen counselor at the Scotts Valley Boys & Girls Clubs, was criminally charged with human trafficking of a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense. He worked for the organization between 2019 and 2023 and allegedly stayed in communication with several young teens in the program after leaving the organization. Police allege he offered the teens money in exchange for sexual images and acts.
- In February 2024, Teegan Paul filed a lawsuit against the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire. She alleged an employee groomed and sexually abused her while she was between the ages of 13 and 16. The employee has since pleaded guilty to one of more than a dozen criminal counts of felony sexual assault. The lawsuit sought $17 million in damages and a court order requiring the organization to fortify its abuse prevention policies. The parties agreed to a confidential settlement in September 2024.
- In March 2024, a 19-year-old woman filed a lawsuit in New Mexico against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its Santa Fe/Del Norte affiliates, alleging that a music teacher at a summer program groomed, manipulated, and sexually abused her when she was between the ages of 6 and 8.
- In October 2022, a court awarded $600,000 to a man who alleged that Gerald Berg, the former program director at Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome County, sexually abused him when he was 14 years old. That was the second judgment awarded against the Boys & Girls Club of Western Broome County that year. In April 2022, the same court awarded $500,000 to a plaintiff who alleged Berg sexually abused him twice a week for nearly two years when he was just 12 years old.
- In November 2021, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its Sonoma Valley affiliate agreed to settle two lawsuits filed by six individuals. Although the terms are confidential, court records show that Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley’s insurance carrier was to pay one plaintiff $976,753 and another $982,752. The lawsuits alleged that former athletic director Paul Dwayne Kilgore groomed and abused the plaintiffs during after-school and summer programs, both on club premises and at other locations, including Kilgore’s home. Kilgore was sentenced in 2018 to 150 years in prison on charges of molesting three boys. The lawsuits claim that the Boys & Girls Clubs had received multiple reports of Kilgore’s inappropriate behavior with young boys but continued to employ him from the early 1990s until at least 2013.
These are just some of the lawsuits and criminal charges involving sexual abuse by Boys & Girls Club employees. However, there are likely thousands of other victims who have not yet come forward. Each survivor deserves help, healing, and justice.
Legal Rights & Options for Impacted Boys & Girls Club Program Attendees
Child sexual abuse can have lifelong effects on individuals – with many children never telling an adult about the harm for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation, fear of not being believed, fear of causing a disruption, shame, or guilt.
Whether harm at the Boys and Girls Club happened years ago or recently, everyone deserves to understand their rights and options.
In general, you have the following three options to pursue justice for sexual abuse involving Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its affiliates:
- Report the abuse to the organization.
- Report the abuse to law enforcement.
- File a civil lawsuit against Boys & Girls Club of America, its affiliates, and other responsible parties.
Report Sexual Abuse to Boys & Girls Clubs
If you or your child has experienced sexual abuse by a Boys and Girls Club staff or volunteer, you can report this to the local club or national organization.
Once it receives a report, the organization has a legal duty to launch an internal investigation. The organization might place the individual on leave during the investigation and might terminate the alleged perpetrator after its investigation if the child sexual abuse allegations are validated.
Whether the harm happened recently or years ago, you have the right to file an internal report with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its local chapter.
Each local chapter may have different ways to report sexual abuse. Some affiliates have online bullying and abuse forms, while others only provide an email address or a phone number to contact.
The national organization does not provide a formal way to file a report. However, it has a general online contact form with the option to raise a “local club question or issue.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America has 4,600 local affiliates nationwide. Since 2014, it has mandated that local chapters report sexual abuse allegations to the national organization.
Additionally, all clubs must follow the national safety protocols, including conducting mandatory background checks of all staff and volunteers who interact with children and immediately reporting sexual abuse allegations to local law enforcement.
However, at least six civil lawsuits—including two after the 2014 reporting policy update—have alleged that victims did report sexual abuse to adult employees or volunteers, but these reports were either not relayed to the national organization, ignored, or covered up.
If you have filed an internal report against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the organization failed to respond, subjected you to retaliation, failed to investigate, or refused to take appropriate action, you might be eligible to take action. You have legal rights and might be entitled to file a civil lawsuit against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other responsible parties.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its affiliates are legally obligated to provide a safe environment for children. If the organization or affiliate knew or should have known of an issue and did not take action, it could face additional serious legal action.
Report Boys and Girls Club Sexual Abuse to Law Enforcement
While Boys & Girls Club programs are required to report allegations of child sexual abuse to local law enforcement agencies, plaintiffs in civil cases have alleged that this does not always happen. Even if the local club did report the abuse allegations to law enforcement, affected individuals should file their own reports with law enforcement.
Additionally, if you did not report the harm to Boys & Girls Clubs of America or the harm happened years ago, you might want to file a report with law enforcement.
Filing a police report will trigger a criminal investigation and might result in criminal charges. Once a report is filed, local law enforcement will start an investigation based on applicable laws, including the state’s criminal statute of limitations.
Each state has its own criminal statute of limitations, which imposes the deadline for prosecutors to press criminal charges. In some states, this may be as little as just a few years, while other states have no time limits for child sexual abuse cases.
According to Hearst Connecticut Media, there were 13 pending criminal cases as of 2020 against Boys & Girls Club volunteers or employees nationwide. The alleged perpetrators stand accused of some form of criminal sexual misconduct, including eight arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
By filing a report with law enforcement, you might be able to assist in an ongoing criminal investigation or trigger a new one.
File a Boys and Girls Club Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
If you or a loved one has experienced sexual abuse by a staff member, volunteer, or other participant at a Boys & Girls Clubs of America program, you might be entitled to file a sexual abuse lawsuit. A sexual abuse lawsuit against Boys and Girls Club allows an individual to seek monetary compensation for their losses.
Each state has its own civil statute of limitations, which imposes the deadline for filing a civil lawsuit. In some states, the child sexual abuse lawsuit statutes are as little as two years from the date an individual turns 18, while other states have much larger periods to file.
Reaching out to an organization like Helping Survivors as soon as possible is critical. We can help you understand the applicable statute of limitations and ensure you file your sexual abuse lawsuit in time.
We can also connect you with an experienced sexual abuse lawyer who can provide a free consultation. If you choose to move forward, the lawyers in our network work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they charge no upfront costs and only get paid if they recover compensation for you.
We are here to listen and advocate for you.
What to Know About Filing a Lawsuit Against Boys & Girls Club for Sexual Abuse
Most people have not thought about filing a lawsuit for sexual harm that has happened to them. However, it is becoming a powerful option to hold abusers and their enablers accountable. Civil lawsuits have provided justice to survivors of abuse by school personnel, religious leaders, youth camp staff, and youth program employees and volunteers.
Survivors of harm at a Boys & Girls Clubs program or affiliate might be entitled to do the following:
- File a sexual assault lawsuit against a local Boys & Girls Club chapter. You can sue the local Boys & Girls Club chapter for failing to keep you safe through proper background checks or other negligence.
- File a sexual assault lawsuit against Boys & Girls Club of America. You can also file a lawsuit against the national Boys & Girls Clubs organization since it oversees its affiliates and is legally obligated to ensure safety at their programs.
- File a sexual assault lawsuit against the perpetrator. You can file a lawsuit against the perpetrator who harmed or attempted to harm you. Perpetrators may include employees and volunteers. However, this option might not make financial sense if the perpetrator has no assets from which to collect a judgment.
The general steps for filing a lawsuit over a sexual assault typically include the following:
- Document the abuse – Write down everything you can remember about the abuse, including dates, times, locations, and details of any interactions. Collect any relevant evidence, such as messages, photos, or witness contact information. A lawyer will also help with this process, but it is good to be prepared before speaking with an attorney.
- Consult an Attorney – Speak with an attorney experienced in handling sexual assault cases against organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America. A skilled and knowledgeable attorney can guide you through the legal process and explain the options available based on the specific details of your case.
- Engage a law firm – Most reputable law firms take these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only receive payment if they obtain a verdict or settlement for you. This arrangement allows you to pursue justice in civil court without any upfront costs.
- File a lawsuit against Boys & Girls Clubs of America and its affiliate – Your attorney will investigate, gather evidence, prepare a complaint, and file your lawsuit.
- Court appearances and paperwork – Your attorney will represent you at any court proceedings and draft all filings, minimizing the need for your direct involvement.
- Discovery & Deposition Process – During discovery, your attorney will exchange evidence and information with the opposition. The attorney might obtain details about the organization’s policies, staff background checks, and reports of previous incidents. If necessary, your attorney will prepare you for a deposition, during which parties and witnesses provide sworn testimony.
- Settlement Negotiations – The parties may negotiate throughout the case to reach a settlement.
- Litigation and trial – If the parties fail to reach a settlement agreement, the case will proceed through further litigation, potentially including a jury trial.
Generally, sexual abuse lawsuits against Boys & Girls Clubs may seek compensation for the following damages:
- Compensation for medical bills
- Compensation for the cost of mental health treatment
- Compensation for lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional Distress
- Punitive damages
Your eligibility to file a lawsuit for sexual abuse will depend on a variety of factors, including the applicable statute of limitations. Even if you believe the civil statute of limitations has expired, contact us as soon as possible because there are some exceptions and, in some jurisdictions, new laws have opened up temporary lookback windows.
Boys & Girls Club Lawyer & Lawsuit FAQs
If you’ve experienced sexual abuse at a Boys & Girls Club program, you likely have questions about your rights, legal options, and how you can prevent future harm to yourself and others.
The following are some common questions we receive. However, we’re always here to answer your specific questions or can connect you with an experienced attorney if you are exploring filing a sexual abuse lawsuit.
How much does hiring a lawyer for a Boys & Girls Club lawsuit cost?
We can connect you with an experienced sexual abuse attorney who can provide a free consultation to evaluate your case.
Every law firm we work with takes these types of cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning they charge no upfront costs. The law firm only gets compensated if and when it recovers compensation for you. Its fee comes from a pre-agreed percentage of the settlement or verdict.
How do I find a lawyer to explore filing a lawsuit against the Boys and Girls Club?
Many law firms advertise their ability to handle sexual abuse claims against Boys & Girls Clubs of America. However, it can be hard to know if they have your best interests in mind, have the experience necessary, and will provide the fierce advocacy you need to get the best possible outcome.
Helping Survivors has a network of experienced and trauma-informed lawyers around the U.S., and we can connect you with someone for free today. We take the work out of helping you find an attorney so you can focus on moving forward.
How much time do I have to file a lawsuit against Boys & Girls Clubs of America for sexual abuse?
The deadline for filing depends on the state where the harm occurred. Each state has its own civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits.
To learn how much time you have, contact Helping Survivors. We can help evaluate your case.
What are the potential outcomes of a sexual abuse lawsuit against Boys and Girls Club?
Just like every case is unique, so are the potential outcomes. In general, a civil lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for the losses resulting from the harm. However, the amount of damages will depend on various factors, including the severity of the abuse, the extent of the harm, the defendant’s culpability, and the organization’s conduct regarding the incident.
Once a lawyer evaluates your case’s unique circumstances, they might be able to provide more specific information about the potential outcomes.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
