PHILADELPHIA — Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky sexually abused a boy more than 100 times and threatened to harm his family to keep him quiet, according to a lawsuit filed Wed nesday by a new accuser who is not part of the criminal case.
The 29-year-old, identified only as John Doe, had never told anyone about the abuse he claims he suffered until Sandusky was charged last month with abusing other boys. His lawyer said he filed a complaint with law enforcement Tuesday. He became the first plaintiff to file suit in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal a day later.
Sandusky has acknowledged that he showered with boys but denied molesting them. His lawyer did not immediately return a message about the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Sandusky abused the boy from 1992, when the boy was 10, until 1996 in encounters at the coach’s State College home, in a Penn State locker room and on trips, including to a bowl game. The account echoes a grand jury’s description of trips, gifts and attention lavished on other boys.
“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,” the plaintiff said in a handwritten statement his lawyer read aloud at a news conference.
John Doe’s lawsuit seeks a minimum of $400,000 in damages for sexual abuse, negligence, emotional distress and other claims. The accuser long thought he was the only victim and was mired in guilt and self-loathing, the lawyer said.
“Now that I have done something about it, I am feeling better and going to get help and work with the police,” the accuser wrote in his statement.
The lawsuit names Sandusky, the university and Sandusky’s The Second Mile charity as defendants. The man says he knew the coach through the charity, which Sandusky founded in 1977, ostensibly to help disadvantaged children in central Pennsylvania.
The man was not referenced in the grand jury report that charges Sandusky with abusing eight boys over a 15-year period.
His lawyer, Jeff Anderson, said he believes Sandusky was a predator who could not control his sexual impulses toward children. He harshly criticized officials at Penn State and The Second Mile who failed to report their suspicions and put a stop to any abuse.
“We need to address the institutional recklessness and failures,” said Anderson, who specializes in clergy sex abuse lawsuits. “Was it because of power, money, fear, loyalty, lack of education?”
The university said it had not seen the complaint.
The charity said it would respond after reviewing the lawsuit but added: “The Second Mile will adhere to its legal responsibilities throughout this process. As always, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.”
The lawsuit was filed hours before students and high-ranking administrators participated in a town-hall forum organized by students at Penn State’s main campus in State College.
Penn State president Rod Erickson promised that the university would raise the visibility of ethics “to a new level” following the scandal, which has rocked the campus.
