New Jersey

NJ Man Overturns Statute of Limitations to Sue Boy Scouts for Sexual Abuse

A New Jersey man who says he was sexually abused as a Boy Scout is now suing the organization in the hope of preventing future assaults.

On Wednesday, Stephen Malcolm accused Stephen Corcoran, his former Scoutmaster of Troop 173 in Parsippany, of sexually abusing him and two other boys.

“I can’t sleep because of this,” Malcolm said, still living with vivid memories of the abuse decades ago.

Malcolm’s wife Christine encouraged him to finally take action. “He would just be random and angry,” Christine said. “Now that I know what’s going on, I can do what I need to make sure he’s okay.”

Besides Malcolm, two other former Scouts are also suing. Corcoran is already in prison on an unrelated child pornography conviction, but he faces additional charges for these alleged sexual assaults.

Though the incidents occurred decades ago, attorney Bruce Nagel overturned a key court ruling to null the statute of limitations in this case.

Malcolm and the two others’ lawsuits are all aimed at the Boy Scouts of America. For the past five years, the organization has been heavily criticized for hiding thousands of suspected abusers and neglecting to take action.

“Not once did (the organization) say, do not ever accept alcohol from Scoutmasters,” Nagel said. “Not once did they say do not accept or watch pornographic materials with the Scoutmaster.”

The Boy Scouts of America has since acknowledged past abuse. The corporation stated that it will implement better screenings, criminal background checks, and mandatory reporting of suspicions. It also said that two adults are now required to be with children at all times.

Malcolm hopes he can move on after this lawsuit. He offers his advice to parents trying to protect their children against child predators.

“(Predators are) not going to come up to parents and say, ‘I want to molest your kid.’ He’s going to come up to parents and be the best person on the block. That way, it reduces any suspicion,” Malcolm said.

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