Toluca Lake, CA, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An online petition has been launched by Award-winning filmmaker Darlene Tipton where she requests that the presiding bankruptcy judge, the Honorable Laurie Selber Silverstein, require that all child sex abuse claims against the Boy Scouts of America be given priority over all business claims.
Darlene’s producing partner and husband, Ken Tipton, wrote a book in 1988 when he was Scoutmaster in St. Louis. Ken wrote the book, “Lost Valley – Lost Innocence: A Love Story”, after the St. Louis Boy Scout Council refused to allow Ken to talk to Scout troops about his past sex abuse as a young Scout. Ken’s book details how he and his best friend, Greg Connor, were exploited sexually from across the nation at the Lost Valley Boy Scout Camp near St. Louis. The book will be released January 1, 2022, or sooner. This will allow time for the BSA to complete their Chapter 11 reorganization. Ken will then add a final chapter that chronicles how well, or not, the Boy Scouts of America takes responsibility for their past complicit behavior and makes the proper amends.
According to news outlets, the Boy Scouts of America’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy has so far received over 95K legal claims that are also available online for everyone to see. However, less than 1% of the claims are actually child sex abuse-related while over 80% are from churches wanting back rent or damages in case they are sued by Scouts who allege they were abused at their facilities. The largest damage filing to date is from the Girls Scouts of America for $13.4 million claiming that since the Boy Scouts now accept girls, their recruiting and branding have been severely hurt. The GSA has also filed for trademark infringement.
Ken Tipton’s mission is to ensure that the Boy Scouts of America regains its original status as an internationally-respected organization dedicated to the civic, social, and personal growth of America’s youth:
“I have supported Scouting as a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Scoutmaster, and hope that the Boy Scouts of America once again becomes the organization we can all admire and respect.”
Tipton also hopes to ensure that the victims of child sex abuse at the Boy Scouts of America are served with the justice that they deserve. According to him, he has observed numerous child sex abuse instances that have ruined the children’s lives and getting justice for them would be a great relief.
In addition, the petition asks Judge Silverstein to issue orders requiring the St. Louis Boy Scout Council to release files on former Scoutmaster Elra E. "Johnnie" Green. According to the petition, Green was kicked out of scouting in 1966 by SLBSC but he was still allowed to continue operating at the Lost Valley Boy Scout Camp until 1978 where he was convicted of abusing another scout while at the camp.
Please sign and share the petition at Change.org. The book is available from Amazon and all revenue will go toward the production of a feature film.
For Further Information
Bios and more information are available at: http://www.LostValley.movie
The petition is at: http://chng.it/KTnXwwXcN6
YouTube Video Explainer: https://youtu.be/jLgEak-yp2Q
For the original news story, please visit https://www.prdistribution.com/news/filmmaker-launches-campaign-to-expose-child-abuse-cover-up-by-the-boy-scouts-of-america.html
Attachment