PHILADELPHIA – A Delaware store manager is suing the Boy Scouts of America and the Mormon church over childhood sexual abuse committed by the scoutmaster at his church-run troop.
Melvin Novak's lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Philadelphia. It charges that newly released Boy Scout "perversion files" show the organization hid abuse claims for years.
Novak's abuser, Vance Hein, is in prison for a parole violation related to his 1999 conviction in Novak's case.
The 28-year-old Novak says the abuse made him "a quitter" when it came to school and jobs and plunged him into years of substance abuse. The Newark, Del., man has also quit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Associated Press does not usually identify people who report sexual abuse, but Novak agreed to make his name public in an effort to publicize the crime and prevent other abuse.
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