New Accuser in Sandusky Case Files Lawsuit
The case of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is gaining added momentum as a new accuser has come forward to file the first civil lawsuit against Sandusky, claiming more than 100 instances of abuse.
In the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, the accuser is identified under the pseudonym of John Doe.
The suit claims that Sandusky repeatedly abused the 10-year-old child, who he met through Sandusky’s charity The Second Mile, and threatened family members to remain silent about the abuse.
The suit also alleges that both Penn State and The Second Mile were aware that Sandusky was molesting children but did not prevent the abuse that occurred against disadvantaged youth.
The accuser is not among the other eight victims that were named in the grand jury report that detailed charges against Sandusky for abusing eight boys over a span of 15 years.
A lawyer for the new victim said that he came forward with his allegations following the release of claims by other survivors.
“This is a survivor who never told anybody until he saw the allegations by other survivors,” Bucks County attorney Marci Hamilton told reporters at a news conference.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Philadelphia, Sandusky met the boy in 1992 and the abuse began shortly thereafter. The lawsuit claims that Sandusky abused the boy until 1996.
Lawyers released a handwritten statement by the victim, in which he states, “I am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened but feel now even more tormented that I have learned of so many other kids were abused after me.”
Sandusky, who already faces 40 criminal counts of child sexual abuse, proclaimed his innocence in a Nov. 14 phone interview with NBC’s Bob Costas.
In the interview Sandusky admitted to showering and touching young boys, but denies that he had sexual involvement with young children.
