Yet another Sandusky victim has come forward with accusations of sexual abuse–and this one is bringing a lawsuit. The 29-year-old alleged victim, referred to as John Doe, is seeking reparations from Penn State, Jerry Sandusky, and Sandusky’s charity The Second Mile.
The man is not one of the eight victims mentioned in the grand jury presentment, but he was motivated to action after hearing Sandusky deny the allegations on television, saying “I am taking this action because I don’t want other kids to be hurt.” The plaintiff’s allegations are similar to those of the other eight victims. Although he does not specify details of the sexual encounters, the lawyers call them “severe.”
John Doe filed a complaint with law enforcement on Tuesday and on Wednesday, he filed the lawsuit. The report cites “an atmosphere of negligence” on the part of both Penn State and The Second Mile. According to one of the attorneys representing the lawsuit, “Two institutions that were tightly bound together, the Second Mile and Penn State, and the football program in particular, let Sandusky continue with his behavior.” In the complaint against Sandusky, the report says that when the victim suggested he might report him, Sandusky made threats against his family.
In response to this development, the new Penn State President Rod Erickson said that the institution’s ethics would be elevated “to a new level so that everyone at the university understands not just the legal thing to do, but the moral thing to do, so that we learn to do the right thing the first time, every time.”
John Doe is seeking a minimum of $400,000 in reparations for sexual abuse, negligence, and emotional distress. Two other unnamed victims have stepped forward since charges were filed against Sandusky.
Stay tuned as we continue our coverage of both the Penn State and Syracuse sexual abuse allegations in our comprehensive series, The NCAA Sex Scandal.
Related Sources:
NY Times
The Huffington Post
