Another person who claims he was sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky more than 100 times as a boy has come forward and filed the first civil suit against the disgraced former Penn State assistant football coach.
The alleged victim, who is only identified as John Doe A, claims he met Sandusky in 1992 when he was 10 years old through Second Mile, the charitable organization Sandusky founded, according to the suit filed today in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The abuse allegedly occurred between 1992 and 1996 in Sandusky’s home, the Penn State locker room, during Penn State bowl game trip, in Philadelphia and other places.
The alleged victim, who was not among the eight victims mentioned in the grand jury report, claims he hadn’t told anyone about the abuse until after the media reported the allegations against Sandusky.
Sandusky allegedly showered the boy with gifts, trips and other privileges, but threatened him and his family during an incident in Philadelphia.
“There was some resistance and that’s what led to the threat,” said attorney Jeff Anderson, who is representing the alleged victim and has a history of representing child sex abuse victims from the Catholic Church.
Anderson released a statement on behalf of his client, who is now 29 years old and lives outside Pennsylvania.
“I never told anybody what he did to me over 100 times at all kinds of places until the newspapers reported that he had abused other kids and the people at Penn State and Second Mile didn’t do the things they should have to protect me and the other kids. 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,” part of the statement said.
The suit also names Penn State University and Second Mile as defendants. Several more civil suits are expected to be filed, with the number of Sandusky’s reported victims still growing, according to investigators.
Sandusky was charged earlier this month with more than 40 counts of sexual abuse, and is currently free on bail. Two top Penn State officials have been charged with perjury and failing to report. All three have denied the charges. The allegations also led to the firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier as the university tries to repair its image.
Sandusky’s attorney, Joseph Amendola, could not be immediately reached for comment. Penn State and Second Mile declined to comment, claiming they had not seen the complaint.
