Attorneys for a sexual abuse victim reached a settlement with the Boy Scouts of America in connection with a Burnsville scoutmaster convicted of molesting four boys in his troop. Peter Stibal, who headed Troop 650 in Burnsville from about 2003 to 2009, was sentenced in 2011 to 14 years in prison, to be followed by seven years on conditional release. The settlement announced by attorney Jeff Anderson on Monday is the second lawsuit connected to Stibal. A lawsuit for a third victim involving Stibal is underway
"This courageous survivor and others like him are hopeful that the Boy Scouts of America have done and will do, a better job warning, informing, and telling the truth about the known hazard in scouting, namely that sexual predators are drawn to scouting," Anderson said.
In a written statement released Monday night, Deron Smith, Director of Communications for the Boy Scouts of America, said "The National Council, Boy Scouts of America is pleased that we were able to reach a settlement on this matter. The behavior included in these reports runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who may be a victim of this type of reprehensible behavior."
The local Northern Star Council, which was recently dropped from the lawsuit, released a statement saying: "Child abuse is intolerable. We are deeply saddened by this case and work continually to ensure that this never happens within the Scouting program.
"Today Scouting is one of the safest places for children in our community," the statement said. "We are constantly strengthening our systems and safeguards to keep it that way."
Terms of the monetary settlement that was reached are not being disclosed yet, said Sarah Odegaard, another attorney representing the victim.
Mary Lynn Smith
