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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

‘John Doe A’ Says Sandusky Threatened Him

PHILADELPHIA (CN) - John Doe A claims former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky sexually abused him more than 100 times after meeting him through Sandusky's charity. He also says the coach was "threaten(ing) to harm plaintiff's family if plaintiff told anyone about the abuse."

Doe, who now lives outside of Pennsylvania, claims Sandusky molested multiple victims, since the 1970s, at Second Mile and at Penn State, which gave him access to young boys.

Doe, represented by attorneys in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, sued The Second Mile, Sandusky and The Pennsylvania State University in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

It's the second complaint this week against The Second Mile. John Doe No. 4 suedthe charity this week to stop it from dissipating its assets.

Sandusky worked as a Penn State football coach from 1969 until he retired in 1999. In 1977, he founded The Second Mile, a charity for children with absent or dysfunctional families, according to the complaint.

Doe says he met Sandusky through The Second Mile in 1992, when he was 10. He says Sandusky "recruited, groomed and coerced plaintiff, showering him with gifts, travel and privileges."

He claims Sandusky sexually molested him more than 100 times at his State College home, at Penn State and Second Mile facilities and on out-of-town bowl game trips.

The complaint states: "Between 1992 and 1996, Sandusky sexually abused John Doe A. John Doe A was too young to have given any consent, and Sandusky's abuse was in fact unwanted and has caused substantial harm to John Doe A. John Doe is presently under age 30.

"Sandusky sexually abused John Doe A over one hundred times.

"The sexual abuse occurred on multiple occasions and at multiple locations within Pennsylvania and outside of Pennsylvania; in the facilities of Penn State, particularly the football coach's locker room; at times within Philadelphia County; at facilities out of state connected with a Penn State bowl game; and at the Sandusky home.

"Sandusky threatened plaintiff and threatened to harm plaintiff's family if plaintiff told anyone about the abuse. This threat operated to silence plaintiff and caused him to not be able to take any action until recently.

"Plaintiff did not discover Penn State's or Second Mile's fraud until recently when the news of the grand jury report became public."

In early November, Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly and State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan filed a grand jury report, charging Sandusky with the sexual assault of eight boys between 1994 and 2009, while he was a coach for Penn State and after he retired from coaching. The 40 counts include various sex crimes, including involuntary, deviate sexual intercourse, according to the complaint.

Doe claims Sandusky's abuse dates back to the 1970s.

The complaint adds: "Sandusky molested multiple victims through his activities with Second Mile and Penn State, dating back to the 1970's. His molestation was enabled by the negligent oversight of Sandusky by Second Mile and Penn State.

"On multiple occasions, Sandusky's interest in, among other things, showering with young boys, and secluding himself alone with boys to permit sexual access to the young boys, was known, or should have been known, to officials with Penn State and Second Mile.

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"Before 1992, it was illegal to sexually abuse a child, and it was generally known that organizations which provided services to children were exposed to the risk of individuals, such as Sandusky, who have a sexual interest in children. Second Mile and Penn State were each negligent in managing the risk posed to children by persons such as Sandusky."

Doe says Penn State and The Second Mile could have prevented the sexual abuse of children, but failed to investigate Sandusky's misconduct, limit his access to boys or report him to authorities.

"In 1998, an investigation was done into Sandusky's sexually improper conduct with children," the complaint states. "A report in excess of 100 pages was produced. Sandusky admitted to showering naked with children at Penn State, admitted to having naked contact in the showers with children, and admitted it was wrong of him to do so. Another possible child victim was identified during the investigation. That child was not contacted, and reasonable actions were not taken."

Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, but kept an office and access to all recreational facilities, including the locker rooms and showers, Doe says.

He adds: "In 2000, a Penn State janitor observed Sandusky in the showers of the Lasch building with a young boy pinned up against the wall performing oral sex on the boy. The janitor immediately informed the janitorial staff. No action was taken by Penn State to investigate or to determine if Sandusky had molested others prior to 2000. Janitors with information about Sandusky's sexual misconduct with children were discouraged from reporting the incident further.

"In 2002, a Penn State graduate assistant observed Sandusky raping a 10 year old in the shower at the Lasch Football Building on the University Park Campus."

The witness reported the rape to head football coach Joe Paterno, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz, who promised to look into the incident, according to the complaint.

Doe says Penn State officials barred Sandusky from the university's athletic facilities and reported the 2002 incident to The Second Mile and to Penn State President Graham Spanier.

But he says neither Penn State nor The Second Mile reported Sandusky to law enforcement or did anything else to protect children from him.

Doe says that in 2008 a mother claimed that Sandusky had sexually assaulted her child, a Clinton County High School student. Doe says Sandusky was barred from the Clinton County school district as a result of the reported assault, but Penn State and The Second Mile disregarded the report.

After the recent grand jury investigation, Curley and Schultz were charged with perjury and failure to report Sandusky's alleged child sex abuse in 2002, according to the complaint. Curley took administrative leave and Schultz, who was in charge of the university's police department, stepped down. The university recently fired coach Paterno.

The Penn State officials are not named as defendants in the present lawsuit.

Doe says The Second Mile and Penn State, which are closely affiliated, hid Sandusky's history of child sex abuse from him and his family.

He adds: "Penn State and Second Mile owed a duty of care to plaintiff because it should have known that Sandusky would have access to children including plaintiff, should have known that Sandusky was a danger to children, should have known that Sandusky had molested children before he molested plaintiff, and should have known that parents and children would place the utmost trust in Sandusky."

John Doe A seeks more than $400,000 in compensatory and punitive damages for childhood sexual abuse, negligence, negligent supervision, premises liability, negligent and intentional misrepresentation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy.

He is represented by Jeffrey Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., and Marci Hamilton of Washington Crossing, Pa.

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