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Penn St. Scandal Likely to Prompt Civil Suits, Sandusky’s 4th Victim Speaks Out

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As more and more victims come forward in the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there will be at least a few civil lawsuits against Sandusky, and possibly Penn State University following the criminal case.

Penn State is a very large institution with a lot of money to hire the best legal talent. However, their lawyers will face a monumental task given 1.) all the evidence in the grand jury report 2.) all the corroborating evidence from the numerous witnesses coming forward.

I’m not Johnnie Cochran or anything, but it appears they’ll be better off not trying to fight this, and instead settle out of court. And of course that will cost money. It could bleed the university, and severely hurt the Nittany Lions program. It costs a lot of money to upkeep a college football program.

From the AP:

The full story about what happened in the Penn State child-sex abuse scandal will only come out through the civil lawsuits that now appear inevitable, and the matter raises novel and challenging legal issues, according to lawyers with experience in similar litigation.

Lawyers for people who say former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky victimized them have been surfacing and speaking out in recent days, raising the likelihood the criminal charges currently pending against him will eventually be followed by civil lawsuits.

Sandusky is accused of abusing eight boys, some on campus, over 15 years, allegations that were not immediately brought to the attention of authorities even though high-level people at Penn State apparently knew about them.

And today, the sordid details from Jerry Sandusky’s fourth victim have come out. A boy then, and 27 years old today.

From Penn Live:

“My client now has become even more adamant that he intends to testify and not waver from his grand jury presentment testimony,” said his attorney, Ben Andreozzi.
The day they met, authorities said, Sandusky began to touch him. It happened in a swimming pool, and he remembers Sandusky testing his boundaries, authorities said. Victim Four met Jerry Sandusky when he was 12 or 13 during the boy’s second year with The Second Mile. But Sandusky was kind to the boy, and initially Victim Four thrived on the affection. 
Then there were the showers — where authorities allege soap battles that would lead to indecent contact. 
The two started working out together, playing sports together. The boy accompanied Sandusky to charity events, parties and on football trips. They had sleepovers in hotels. He even was part of the Sandusky family trip to two bowl games.

I suggest reading the entire article. It’s dark, disturbing and depressing, as it tells the story of a man who served dual roles -that of father and molestor- for a troubled, unfortunate child. But it is a cautionary tale.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports.

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; he’s also a member of the FWAA, USBWA and SPJ. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.