Press Release

Attorney General Ellison supports public release of Boy Scouts’ ‘Perversion Files’ with safeguards for rights of accused

As state’s chief legal officer, seeks disclosure in the interests of justice, transparency, and protecting children

August 20, 2019 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a motion in Ramsey County District Court late yesterday to submit an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief to support the public release of the so-called “Perversion Files” maintained by the Boy Scouts of America, provided there are appropriate safeguards for the rights of those accused. The Perversion Files, so named by the Boy Scouts, contain the names of alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse against Boy Scouts along with other files about the events that led to those accusations.

In 2012, an Oregon court released reports from the Perversion Files of alleged child sexual abuse by more than 1,200 scout leaders. In the case of John Doe 180 v. The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation, the Boy Scouts produced a separate list of 1,500 scout leaders accused of misconduct against children and the corresponding Perversion Files, but the list and files were sealed by court order when the case was settled in 2014. Plaintiff John Doe 180 is now seeking permission from the Court to unseal the files and release them to the public.

As Minnesota’s chief legal officer, the Attorney General is responsible for protecting the public interest and advocating for the public good. In that capacity, Attorney General Ellison is seeking public disclosure of the Boy Scout Perversion Files in the interests of justice for survivors and their families, transparency for the public, and protection of children from sexual predators across Minnesota and the rest of the nation.

At the same time, in the amicus brief that the Attorney General will file with the Court’s leave, Attorney General Ellison will argue that the files should be released only under a Court-supervised process that protects the rights of those accused.

“There is a compelling public interest in releasing the Perversion Files that the Boy Scouts collected secretly for decades,” Attorney General Ellison said. “That release, however, must carefully safeguard the rights of those accused and guard against releasing names of those who may have been accused baselessly or maliciously — for example, simply on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The public interest and the interests of justice for all require that fairness and process be balanced with transparency and accountability. I am confident that we in Minnesota are capable of striking that balance.”