Lawsuit: Boy Scouts leader abused child at Gophers games in '80s

A Minneapolis man has filed suit against the Boy Scouts, alleging a group leader sexually assaulted him during University of Minnesota basketball games in the 1980s.

The unnamed plaintiff says an unidentified scout leader then ran a volunteer usher program in which scouts worked at Williams Arena games. A complaint released Wednesday by attorney Patrick Noaker says the scout leader sexually assaulted the plaintiff in a room at the arena on multiple occasions when he was about 12 years old.

"They were fully aware that that was danger any time a scout leader was allowed to isolate a kid and be alone with a kid," said Noaker, who called the usher program "an example of how much trust the community placed in the Boy Scouts. It's sad because now we're finding out that they were not worthy of that trust."

The lawsuit doesn't allege wrongdoing by the university. A statement from the Boy Scouts says the organization remains a safe place for kids, and that the Scouts have taken many steps to improve child protection since the 1980s.