A man, who claims that he was molested more than 11 times by the former Penn State assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, has filed the first civil lawsuit against the university and the embattled coach at the center of an explosive sexual abuse scandal, sibling publication the Legal Intelligencer reports.
In a complaint that was filed on Wednesday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the man, who is identified only as John Doe, alleges that he was abused by Sandusky from 1992–when the plaintiff was 10 years old–through 1996. The complaint claims that Sandusky, ”recruited, groomed, and coerced” the plaintiff and ”showered him with gifts, travel and privileges.”
The plaintiff, who alleges that the Penn State officials knew of the abuse and covered it up, also names Second Mile, which Sandusky founded in 1977, as a defendant, according to the Intelligencer.
The plaintiff is not among the victims that are listed in the detailed grand jury report that outlines the criminal allegations against Sandusky. The complaint claims that the plaintiff, who met Sandusky through Second Mile, reported the incidents to the authorities for the first time on Tuesday, reports the Intelligencer.
Jeffery Anderson, who is the Minnesota lawyer that is representing the alleged victim, announced the lawsuit at a press conference in Philadelphia. Anderson has based his practice on filing suits on the behalf of people who say they were sexually abused by Catholic priests and any other church officials. According to an American Lawyer profile, the suits Anderson files typically name the Vatican as a defendant.
The complaint that was filed on Wednesday claims that the abuse occurred at the Penn State facilities, including the football coach’s locker room, at Sanducksy’s home, and at out-of-state facilities where Penn State played in bowl games.
At the press conference, Anderson said that during one alleged incident, Sandusky threatened to harm the plaintiff and his family if he reported the abuse to the authorities, the Intelligencer reports.
Sandusky, who is a 30-year veteran of the Penn State football coaching staff, has been charged with 40 accounts of sexual abuse. A grand jury report against him alleges that he abused eight boys over a 10-year period.
The suit that was filed on Wednesday says that Sandusky ”molested multiple victims through his activities with Second Mile and Penn State dating back to the 1970s,” and includes claims against both Penn State and Second Mile for conspiracy to endanger children, negligent supervision, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint also alleges that ”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.”