Three separate lawsuits filed against Kanakuk Ministries by plaintiffs identified as John Doe XX, XXI and XXII will proceed in a changed venue and mark a new chapter in child sexual abuse litigation.

This litigation seeks to determine what portion of previously awarded damages Kamp Kanakuk is responsible for.

The three plaintiffs, all represented by Douglas, Haun and Heidemann, each were awarded $5 million in damages against former Kanakuk counselor and serial sexual abuser Pete Newman in a judgment rendered Aug. 9, 2023. Now these plaintiffs have re-entered the litigation process to discover whether Kanakuk Ministries’ knowledge of Newman’s abusive behavior prior to his termination makes the institution and other named defendants co-debtors of this sum, and if so, what portion of that sum they are liable for.

Originally filed last November with the Taney County Court, the three separately filed petitions now have been transferred to Christian County, Mo., the same venue where numerous other civil lawsuits related to Kanakuk sexual abuse have been handled.

As other lawsuits from Newman victims such as Logan Yandell, Andrew Summersett and Jane Doe allege, these three petitioners argue Kanakuk leadership was aware of Newman’s sexually abusive behavior for years before his confession in 2009. And while Kanakuk leaders denied having prior knowledge of Newman’s abuse, investigation uncovered documentation proving leadership was aware as early as 1999 that Newman was engaging in sexual misconduct with children.

In response to the litigation, court records show Kanakuk defendants attempted to dismiss these cases by arguing there is a legal difference in being a joint tortfeaser (entity responsible for causing injury) with Newman and a joint debtor. However, the motion to dismiss has been denied and litigation will proceed in the new year.

The three plaintiffs were first abused at different points between the years of 2002 and 2008.

According to the petitions, John Doe 20 was abused by Newman on Kanakuk property in an area called the “Party Barn,” a location where numerous Newman victims say he often abused them. John Doe 21 and 22 each were abused in their family homes, where Kanakuk leadership arranged for Newman to reside during recruiting trips.

Of the numerous stories covered by BNG previously, these two scenarios follow the same patterns of abuse recalled by other Kanakuk Kamps survivors.

According to the petitions for John Doe 21 and John Doe 22, “Defendants concealed their superior knowledge regarding Newman’s dangerous propensities, covered him in the cloak of official Kanakuk business, and sent him into the home, like a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing.”

All the litigation emphasizes Kanakuk’s endorsement and protection of Newman despite knowledge of his abusive behavior directly contributed to his ability to gain physical access to the plaintiffs as victims. With this litigation, they are seeking to hold Kanakuk responsible for these institutional failures.

“There are already roughly $15 million in judgments against Pete Newman across these three young men’s cases. All we’re asking is that a local jury decide how to apportion that fault between Newman and the organization that hired him, promoted him and continued giving him access to campers even after Kanakuk officials knew he was skinny-dipping with boys and organizing naked basketball games and four-wheeler rides with them,” lawyer Craig Heidemann told the Líder de noticias de Springfield.

“Kanakuk has repeatedly told the public it is ‘forever sorry,’ that it stands with victims of Pete Newman’s abuse, and that it prays for everyone affected while emphasizing its commitment to child safety,” Heidemann added. “Yet in court, it is fighting to dismiss these cases so no jury ever answers the basic question of how much responsibility belongs to Kanakuk and how much to Newman. If Kanakuk truly believes what it says in its public statements, it should put action to its words and let a Christian County jury apportion the fault.”

Este artículo apareció originalmente en Noticias Bautistas Globales y ha sido reimpreso con permiso.

Mallory Challis is a third-year master of divinity student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity and is a former Clemons Fellow with BNG.