Kerry Lewis: The Boy Scouts Abuse Survivor is Now Leading a Quiet Life
In what can only be described as a devastatingly powerful documentary, Hulu’s ‘Leave No Trace: A Hidden History of the Boy Scouts’ shines a light upon the dark side of the once-renowned institution. After all, while it’s undeniable that they aimed to empower young males across the nation, they ended up doing quite the opposite by concealing the century-long pedophilic sexual abuse within. Thus, it was the case of Kerry Lewis back in 2010 that turned everything around for good — so now, if you wish to learn more about him as well as the matter, we’ve got the details for you.
What Happened to Kerry Lewis?
Kerry Lewis was a typical enthusiastic bundle of joy with a genuine love for the outdoors when he first joined the Boy Scouts of America, but it soon turned into a place of nightmares for him. That’s because an assistant scoutmaster by the name of Timur Dykes took advantage of him for quite some time in the early 1980s, seemingly starting from when he was just around 8. Kerry was then left to face the trauma of his sexual assaults alone, yet he eventually managed to pick himself up and go to court to ensure the world knew of the horrific things happening in the scouts.
In his case, Kerry claimed that the organization failed him by allowing Timur to extensively participate in troop activities even after he’d confessed to molesting as many as 17 scouts. The assertion was that in 1983 the scoutmaster had told a bishop from the LDS Church he had been sexually abusing the minors, including Lewis, but there was still no action taken for their safety. As if that’s not enough, Timur himself conceded to assaulting Kerry during a pre-trial deposition, which affected the outcome just as much as BSA’s carefully maintained “perversion files” did.
According to Kerry’s attorneys, the report had been dubbed as such since they are essentially concealed records containing “red flag” information on the institution’s leaders as well as volunteers. Hence, they worked hard to make these documents public, resulting in a win for Kerry, in spite of the scouts’ argument that their intention was solely to weed out potential predators, nothing more. Therefore, following a 30-year wait for justice, in April 2010, the BSA was ordered to pay Kerry $1.4 million in compensatory damages plus $18.5 million in punitive damages.
Where is Kerry Lewis Now?
Once the court proceedings came to a favorable end in 2010, then-38-year-old Kerry admitted, “it’s a little surreal right now; it’s a little overwhelming. It’s a good day, and it all turned out the way it was supposed to be.” He added, “Big corporations can’t just be above the law; they need to answer to society,… especially with youth organizations. You say you’re the best, you better act the best and set the precedent… When you deal with the youth, you have to protect them, and I’m just glad the jury agreed with me.” We should mention that this sexual abuse case is one of the first where the BSA was not able to have a quiet settlement.
As for Kerry’s advice to other abuse survivors, “It’s very scary, but take that first step and reach out. Ask for help. Regardless of whether it’s a lawyer, a counselor, a therapist, or anybody, just ask for help, and you will get it. Don’t be scared, even though it’s very scary. You can do it, I did.” Coming to his current whereabouts, from what we can tell, Kerry prefers to lead his life well away from the spotlight these days, but he likely still resides in Oregon. The most significant aspect of his entire journey is that his gradual healing process has allowed him to gain a different, much more appreciative perspective on life.
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