Milo Academy faces lawsuit over sexual abuse allegations
The News Review
October 31, 2008
A lawsuit has been filed against the Milo Adventist Academy over allegations that a woman who served as an assistant coach, instructor and choir leader at the Days Creek-area boarding school sexually abused a 15-year-old female student.
The suit, filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, alleges that the woman groomed and sexually abused the girl in 2007 and 2008.
Neither the alleged victim nor the accused woman are named in the lawsuit, which seeks up to $100,000 in damages for past and future counseling and medical expenses and $3 million for psychological suffering and damage.
The suit essentially blames the academy for allowing the alleged abuse to occur, as well as for failing to properly investigate the woman’s background, then for retaining her even once information came to light that she had a history of inappropriate sexual misconduct with children in the past.
“We believe we can prove that there was information they could have learned that should have prevented them from bringing her on at all,” said Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who filed the suit along with Coos Bay attorney Bill McDaniel.
The Oregon Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists and the Western Oregon Conference and Southern Oregon Conference Associations of Seventh-day Adventists are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Herald Follett, general counsel for the Seventh-day Adventists Church in Oregon, said this morning he had not heard of the lawsuit and had no comment at this time. The academy’s principal, Randy Bovee, also declined to comment.
Clark, who regularly handles child sexual abuse cases including those against the Catholic Church and other organizations, said he believed the accused woman was some sort of part-time volunteer at the school.
The woman, who Clark said was in her early twenties, assisted with coaching, instructing and choir. The alleged victim was a member of choir and participated on several sports teams.
Clark said the teen’s parents ended up finding out about the alleged abuse, which was reported to the school. He said the parents did not press criminal charges.
He said he didn’t know if the woman was still working or volunteering with the school. The teen has since moved out of state with her family.
Clark called the case a “very sad story” and said the teen continues to suffer emotionally and spiritually.
“She’s struggling,” he said.
February 15th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Brandon ( I assume your a student at the said school?)
Your response is typical by the way and why it takes victimes for ever and a day to have the courage to speak out.
People who abuse quite often do it right under other peoples noses. They become very fine tuned at testing the waters on what’s safe what THEY can get away with.
I was taken to a printing room in the 1970’s by a SDA headmaster while 100 odd students waited for me to return inconsolable. One of the students asked me what was wrong and I said I had gotten into trouble for telling mummy fibs about mr…
He was about to conduct the whole school singing ‘cleans me Oh Lord’ they waited for us to return. While I stood there having a panic attack he put a stick and a metre ruller inside my mouth to get my fingers out of my mouth (put there for comfort no doubt)again an audiaence of at least 100 present.
one thing you and I have in common (can’t spell to save our life)
but in the mean time think twice before you make clueless comments and let the justice system work the issues through.
I will be denigned justice for any of this though because I come from a country that doesn’t react to abuse of this sort.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Hi Elizabeth,
An old MAA student here, and also a victim of rape in the Adventist church. Some friends have a support network starting. I hope you’ll check it out. Email me at ihatescreennames17@hotmail.com
Whether you decide to join or write or whatever, best of luck to you. I’m doing my best to help myself and those of my friends who have been hurt by this–you deserve both justice and healing as does the young girl in this news release. This should never have happened.
Take Care.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Elizabeth, i know the 2 parties personally and theres no way..not ever…this all started as a rumor, eventually the girls dean heard it and reported it to the principal and the parents…the parents freaked and the story goes on…now milo faces a unnecessary lawsuit because the parents herd a uninvestigated rumor and saw a opportunity to get rich.
…money is the root of all evil
this whole thing is lame
March 28th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Brandon still better to allow the justice system to decide these issues, afterall a statement of claim has been filed already. On face value at this stage there is someone in a postion of power and responsibility and someone not yet at the age of majority(full)responsibly possibly still going thought all those feelings of confusion that we have when we are growing up.
If you want to talk about it my email is lillyput77@live.com.au p.s sorry I bit your head off before- you pushed my buttons so to speak:-)
March 29th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Brandon,
I don’t know the parties involved in this, you’re right. But I did go to Milo in the 1999-2000 school year. Check me out. My maiden name is Stevenson. You can also find my Uncle Virgil in the Nam era, on the walls. You’ll also find two of my close cousins pinned to Milo hallways. As well as at least one person who was hurt by the same individual I was, one individual who was hurt in two separate episodes at Milo in (I believe) 1998. Besides being raped by serial pedophile Scott Harrison, I, myself, was hurt by a volunteer’s husband at Milo–he masturbated in front of me as the woman was out of the school van. He never touched me, but certainly, it was an uncomfortable situation. I mean, his wife came back into the van, and I was just sitting there, quiet, red-faced. I mentioned feeling uncomfortable to Mrs. McGill, and she was so frustrated at me, probably for not showing up for class/work, that she insinuated I shouldn’t go to the doctor so much.
Mrs. McGill and I didn’t get on while I was there. But there was that day both I and another girl who had been sexually abused tried to kill ourselves (no, we didn’t purposefully do it at the same time.) I’m sure she came forward for a reason. If really she came forward of her own free will, I commend her for coming forward about this. Heaven knows I wish she caught me trying to kill mself so I would have gotten help for my situation alot sooner.
And trust me. I was Kelly’s first Adventist client, and we had an open friendship, we had to. Part of his job was to familiarize himself with how I was raped as a child and how my brain works. By his own words, he will rarely take cases that aren’t good, only lawyers paid by taxes will do that. In my case they sent investigators to every corner of my life. If I’d been lying, they’d have figured it out. Rumors don’t make money. I had to have some hard proof, not just of the rapes themself, but of church culpability before any lawyer would sign me on.
Also, I went to the church from 2001 to 2007, begging for help. I was prepared to sign papers saying I would never sue if they would pay for my therapy bills. When I went to them for help at the age of 16 I spoke with Alf Birch. He sent me on to the head of Risk Management who in a short period of time was telling me it was my fault I’d been raped in the sanctuary because “you shouldn’t have been walking around.” They also tried to get me to sign a piece of paper saying it had never happened. The spiritual fallout from that cold conversation was intense. Suffice it to say, I had a hard time.
I was a suicidal sixteen year old child. They sent me to Risk Management? Was I really such a risk? I needed to be “managed?”
I was also told “nobody else is here complaining” by Pastor Gary Parks when I went to him when I’d heard about another young girl being raped by a school acquaintance in one of the rooms I’d been digitally penetrated in.
And money? The Adventist church settled for approximately 25 times what I asked for counseling in my final phone call directed to the Conference President. They probably spent more than that on attorney bills.
As Dan Allender says, “people can sue over a wrecked car but not a wrecked life?” Don’t judge this girl. You know her, okay, but you don’t know the situation as well as you think you do, so if you have a compassionate bone in your body, keep quiet. If you need someone to talk to, go write Pastor Carl. He’s someone I trust, I’m sure you trust him, and he’ll set you straight. It’s incredibly hurtful, these rumors. They’ve hurt me more than I can say, and I’ll be damned if I don’t stand up for this very brave young girl as rumors go around about her.
And as for coming forward with my name? Certainly I would prefer to remain anonymous. But that was kind of blown for me when the church investigators went to all my old friends, told them who I was and why I was suing. Nice one, Oregon Conference. Your love washes over me like a bucketful of coals. BTW, I’ll be sure that my precious babies never, ever, ever walk in a church, attended or unattended, courtesy of advice from Adventist Risk Management.
I guess I should just be grateful, my mother didn’t get sued like Mama Doe in the South Salem Pumford case did.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I am a former Alumni of Milo but no longer Adventist.
It breaks my heart to read this. I had a great time going to school there. It was not perfect but there were never rumors of this magnatude.
If I had incountered this within 10 years of my graduation I would have defended Milo with all my might. Now given decades of life experiance I know that people can do horible things, evil things, and justify it to themselves.
What rings true to me is how some in the Adventist church and comunity can so whole heartedly beleive that they are chosen they won’t stop to question there own asumptions.
In an isolated comunity extra vigalance needs to be taken to protect those that can be abused. If Milo and the Adventist church does not do everything they can to protect the youth and those they have under there care then these questions and lawsuits must happen.
I don’t pray very often but I will pray for those involved in the lawsuit. I pray they can find peace.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:33 am
As a Milo alumnus, a child sex-abuse survivor, child of Adventist teachers, and a mental health counselor for 20 years working with many sex-abuse victims, I was very interested to read all the comments. I’d like to make several points:
#1 - we can NEVER say we know someone “would never do such a thing”. It happens all the time (how many times in the news have you read about a horrible murder, and all the friends and family members say they would never believe the criminal could have done someone like that - OJ Simpson comes to mind, for one).
#2 - there is a history in the Adventist church AND MOST EVERY OTHER DENOMINATION, plus Christian schools and PUBLIC schools of covering up sex abuse. It is getting much better. I know nothing of this case, but in recent years I was involved with the Oregon conference staff in bringing resolution to a number of victims (one from decades ago)and really appreciated the leadership’s attitude that justice must be done.
#3 - God is the ultimate healer. We don’t have to be “victims for life.” After suffering the effects of sexual abuse for over 40 years, I finally went public (even my husband had never known) and the Lord brought complete healing to my life.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Darlene,
Are you the same Darlene who stood mumly by as the Adventist forum questioned why I allowed myself to be raped at the age of 7?
If so, my family and I can do completely without your savage help, regardless of whether God is on your shoulder giving you verbatim command.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
glad I found this site.
I was the victim of child abuse. I was drugged , raped and a child porn flick was produced. the man in whose home this occurred was a dear family friend and the offender. everyone admired how this simple small time baker, became quite wealthy. no one knew his dirty little secret. child pornography.
that family was very popular in our SDA school and church in SoCal. he was a leader of some sort in the church but not employed by the conference. the church and school gave him access to many unsuspecting victims and material to rape and video. The man was insincere, if not making jokes , he was talking money and how to get ahead. church goers are he felt, gullible and a bunch of suckers.
Family is incredulous. NO WAY this could happen, “YOU ARE A LIAR, SELFISH, WHY DID YOU WAIT SO LONG, YOU’RE AFTER MONEY, YOU’RE GONNA GIVE HIM A HARD TIME IN HIS OLD AGE etc.. etc..”
Those who want to keep quiet and say nothing once they have realized what happened to them, too often have their own baggage to hall around.
Now the haze of the drug he used is finally wearing off and I wish I could serve him a cold one.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Bill,
I’m so sorry it’s been so hard for you. Have you worked with SNAP at all? They’re actually how I got in touch with Kelly. I know they have large LA support groups, and I found that they are incredibly welcoming to CSA survivors from all denominations. I am not nearly healthy enough to offer help to any one except referrals. You’re in my heart, as well as all the other survivors of the perp you speak of.
http://www.snapnetwork.org
-Michelle
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 am
I am very sorry to here about this going on in the adventist schools, but is there anywhere that this does not happen. It is the devil just like anywhere else this takes place, but where would it be better than the adventist church? I know that you may have hard feelings about adventists, but I put the blame on the people operating the school not the religion. I am sorry for your case, but please dont take it out on the religion of seventh-day adventists. Adventist people have a choice just like anyone else. If that is the kind of person someone is, is religion going to make a difference of the out come? I went to milo for 2 years and it was great, but if managment cannot take control of these issues then it should not be in opperation. I will be praying for you and any other victims.